The project “I Don’t Know Who I Am, but I Have a Six-Pack” by Joanne-Heleene Sõrmus, a second-year master’s student at the Estonian Academy of Arts, explores the intersections between body, technology, and material research.
The title reflects a self-deprecating yet sincere search for identity – within a culture shaped by discipline, digital tools, and physical transformation.
As a designer and competitive bodybuilder, Sõrmus views the body as a living medium – a space where physical practice and creative experimentation converge.
Inspired by anatomical structures, she transformed muscle textures and layers of fat into digital patterns and three-dimensional reliefs, which were then printed directly onto fabric using a self-developed technique refined over several years.
This process makes the body both the subject and the method of the design – an ongoing dialogue between physical form and technological process.
The outfit, made from elastic Lycra and flexible TPU filament, combines the functionality of sportswear with the aesthetic sophistication of contemporary fashion.
The garments are designed to move with the wearer’s body, thus blurring the lines between performance wear and everyday clothing. They hint at a future where clothing forms an organic extension of the body – rather than a separate layer on top of it.
Sõrmus’ innovative method of 3D printing directly onto stretchable fabrics – without additional heat treatment – allows the filament and textile to fuse into a single, flexible surface. The result is both breathable and sculptural – a material that interacts with the body.
With this work, Sõrmus demonstrates that technology in her practice is not merely a tool, but an integral part of her artistic language – a means of shaping, translating, and extending the human form through design.
