UPCYCLING 2.0: ELECTRONICS AND EMOTION
An Interactive Dance Performance on Clothing, Care, and Connection.
2024
Upcycling 2.0 redefines traditional upcycling by merging textile repair, emotional storytelling, and electronic augmentation. Rather than simply repurposing garments, this approach enhances their functional, aesthetic, and affective value through the integration of interactive technologies.
Developed through a collaborative process, the project was commissioned by NUMA Circuit Festival (Tenerife, Spain) and brought together an upcycler, a seamstress, a hat maker, a dancer, and myself to explore how e-textiles can support narratives of care, attachment, and transformation. Our goal was to create a costume piece that not only extends the life of discarded textiles but also becomes an active performer in the storytelling process.
The resulting garment features four touch-sensitive points embedded in the fabric. When activated during the dance, these sensors trigger pre-recorded soundscapes combining voices, textures, and stories about attachment, textile production, and sustainable practices. Through this embodied interaction, the dancer’s movements generate a dialogue between body, garment, and environment, transforming the costume into an instrument of emotion and memory.
By merging electronics with upcycling techniques, Upcycling 2.0 opens up new possibilities for designing garments as dynamic storytelling artefacts—pieces that invite audiences to reflect on their relationships with clothing, care, and consumption. The performance demonstrates how clothing can move beyond being passive material to become a mediator of meaning, intimacy, and collective responsibility
Concept, electronics, coding, sound design: Ricardo O'Nascimento
Fashion design: Rachel Lapolillas
Upcycling expert: Rosi Tejera
Hat design: El Mehdi Benkhiye
Coreography and dance performance: Javier Arozena
Commission and Production: Numa Circuit Festival