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Performance Beyond the Camera
Exploring how light and material can protect presence, identity, and creative freedom in environments of constant recording.
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Performance beyond the camera
In today’s club culture, every phone is a camera. Moments that were once fleeting are now captured, shared, and archived online. Unauthorized recordings reshape narratives, expose identities without consent, and turn ephemeral performances into permanent media. Intimacy is no longer guaranteed—spaces meant for freedom have become zones of constant surveillance.
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The Invisible Web
Research revealed a unique property of nylon under UV light: it creates patterns that digital cameras cannot interpret. This insight was transformed into a modular UV-reactive mesh system— invisible to the human eye yet disruptive to lenses. For the audience, it becomes atmosphere. For cameras, it becomes interference—creating a subtle boundary that restores privacy during performances.
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Material as Medium
The mesh system is made of precisely engineered nylon threads. Under UV light, the material activates only for cameras while remaining invisible to humans. This creates a protective field that preserves the environment: movement, interaction, and performance continue naturally, while unwanted recording is gently blocked.
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A new Kind of Privacy
For performers and participants who value identity, authorship, and control, privacy is about agency, not isolation. Being unseen becomes a matter of choice. Protecting moments preserves their meaning. This system lets people decide when to be visible—offering a practical tool for privacy in public and performance spaces.
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Design meets experience
The Invisible Web demonstrates that material design can serve as a protective medium. By integrating digital interference into everyday objects, technology merges with aesthetics, giving users control over visibility without interrupting the experience of the performance space.
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Presence, not absence
Visibility does not have to mean vulnerability. The project turns surveillance into a tool for choice, ensuring identity and performance remain under personal control. Moments can be shared or kept private, and social interaction can coexist with autonomy.
Credits:
Liverani Alessandra / Mischiatti Alessia / Baur Nick Andrej / Quinti Aurora / Cesi Camilla / Li Jingxuan / Kawakatsu Niko
The project was realized as part of the Fashion Craft course within the Master’s Degree in Design for the Fashion System at Polimi
