The ListenUp Scarf

Wearable

For a young teenage girl, the ListenUp Scarf is a canvas for self-expression and a reminder of her community of support. The two scarves, the winter version wired with audio and the summer version wired with light components, help her explore different forms of self-expression and build her self-esteem. From the summer scarf, LED lamps magically produce a gentle glow as night falls, a reminder that she can light up a room with her personality. With the winter scarf, she collects snippets of conversations with the scarf and shares them in unconventional ways. Because this scarf is all about voice, she will always think of it as a metaphor for speaking her truth. The scarves harken to her childhood security blanket while helping her grow into her next skin — that of a confident young woman.

The winter scarf is equipped with hacked Radio Shack 20-second audio modules controlled from an Arduino LilyPad microprocessor. Two soft-switches are dedicated to record and playback functions, respectively. Soft circuit technology is used to position the switches in one end of the scarf and the speaker and microphone in the opposite end. The summer version is equipped with solar powered, nocturnal LED pummers (BEAM circuitry). A pink and green palette is carried across lightweight fabric for summer and fleece for winter. Ornamentation includes charms that spell out “SPEAK” and “LISTEN,” matching tassels and trimming.