It looks like what you’d want to wear if you were invited to a dinner party … with Sun Ra and his Arkestra.
It lights up and responds as though you’re about to guest star on a Japanese TV show about a trans-dimensional space princess.
But then… it starts making music. And the wild whimsy of the Chromehatic turns into a sultry set piece for a pitch-perfect performance by vocalist FEMME, celebrated London-based performer/producer.
As for the headpiece itself, it launches a line entitled SENSEries, pairing milliner/couture designer Jodie Cartman (whose work has shown up on the brow of Morcheeba with crewdson, aka London’s Hugh Jones, an instrument builder and musician.
Watch:
I love that the aesthetic of the headpiece, the interaction, the music, and the performance all fuse together. So, it’s a MIDI controller – it could be anything – but there’s a singular statement of style.
The video debuts on The 405, which sounds like the name of a California freeway, but is actually a UK culture site and event platform.
The Chromehatic: A wearable musical instrument by Jodie Cartman and Crewdson [405 Premiere]
A lot of “wearable tech” amounts to sewing a few LEDs in a jean jacket – not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s nice to see someone get the whole package together.
And Femme, by the way, seems to me a really talented singer.
#millinery on CDM … your move, next.