“Shouldn’t [orchestral musicians] be able to wear something that’s both formal and functional?” reads an unsigned Thursday (7/19) article at the New School website (New York City). “That’s the thinking behind the design of new uniforms for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra…. The result of a collaboration between the BSO and The New School’s Parsons School of Design and Mannes School of Music, the custom garments were created using 3D body scanning and fabrics donated by Under Armour…. The project was initiated [in 2012] by Marin Alsop, music director of the BSO…. [Faculty member Gabi] Asfour worked with student teams from programs throughout Parsons and Mannes on the project…. BSO musicians offered input on the new designs…. Direct Dimensions, a Baltimore hi-tech startup, rigged 200 cameras backstage at the BSO’s Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, scanning each member of the orchestra over a period of two weeks. Then Body Labs, a New York City–based provider of human-aware AI, used the data to create 3D avatars of the members…. Finally Alabama-based OnPoint Manufacturing constructed the garments.… Asfour and Alsop hope the project can serve as a model for other orchestras…. The uniforms made their debut with the entire orchestra at a concert in June 2018.”
Posted July 23, 2018
