Museum of Natural History & UAS on the Catwalk

19 Sep '11

3 min read

On September 23 the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) in St. Pölten, Austria will be parading clothing from over ten millennia for a journey through time and the world of fashion. For this purpose cooperation was secured with the Museum of Natural History Vienna, which will be showing faithfully reconstructed garments from the Stone Age through Roman times. As part of the "FIT for Research" event, a fashion show will show a stark contrast between them and "intelligent" garments. The latter can measure vital functions of the body, play music or change color and have been developed by the UAS, St. Pölten.

Research can be highly attractive – and it's to highlight this that the European Researchers' Night takes place every year. This year, with their "FIT for Research" evening event the UAS, St. Pölten, Austria and the PR agency PR&D, specializing in research marketing, have a unique program lined up.

A special highlight of the program will be "Wearables": intelligent garments that, by means of electronic elements, can measure vital physical functions or perform activities. Thanks to the Museum of Natural History (NHM) Vienna, these Wearables can now be juxtaposed with the clothing of bygone ages, as the NHM brings to life historically documented textile history from the Stone Age to the Roman Empire. Armed Celts and a Roman delegation from Lauriacum will be striding along the catwalk.

Dr. Baker, guest lecturer at the UAS, St. Pölten and who also works at the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, Great Britain states: "Wearables are the latest mutation in the evolution of clothing: they measure vital functions and can also produce sounds, rhythms and moods. The Piano Jacket and the Rocking Fingers create catchy rhythms and the Chameleon Dress expresses moods as colors or blends in with its surroundings."

Together, workshops, games and installations will show what research is capable of. Biometric facial recognition, data recovery through IT forensics, mobile and intuitive information, cooking shows about modern “brain food”, theater plays with mixed realities, alternative opera performances and more will all be rounded off with a big night out.

The Co-Director of the UAS, St. Pölten, Dr. Fernandes, says: "UAS's research focuses on application. Therefore it's as relevant to business as it is to the general public. In the last few years we've managed successful cooperation with international industrial giants like Siemens and Toyota. We're delighted that our research successes were selected by the EU as the Austrian contribution to European Researchers' Night."

University of Applied Sciences (UAS)

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