REALISM,
LIKE THERE’S
ONLY ONE
REALITY?
Cattytay is Creative Director and Co-Founder of Institute of Digital Fashion and is globally recognised as the first pioneer of digital fashion.
BP: Okay Cattytay, let’s talk bodies, your body (ahem), our bodies, the body. How much of your work is about the body and how much of it is beyond the body?
C: At IoDF, our work always centres around digital representation first. The IoDF white paper ‘My Self, My Avatar, My Identity,’ investigates inclusivity and diversity within virtual worlds, the impact of misrepresentation on users, and the need for including wider options for gender representation, physical appearance, disabilities and cultural values within the metaverse. Findings show that people want to feel represented first, whilst also attaining the freedom and ability to play beyond the body, second.
Tell us about your “Dommes of LDN” piece and what’s missing from it. How do you go about translating representation from irl to url? Obviously we’re still missing something, right?
“Dommes of LDN” was first shown in a physical exhibition for the Tom of Finland Foundation Festival at The Standard, London. It’s a digital render of Leanne Elliott Young and me, co-founders of IoDF. It sees us entwined in a classical setting, our bodies morphed as we struggle to define our realism. We sculpted the bodies to be more masc and defined, playing on gender norms.
The ‘Dommes of LDN’ piece is really a metaphor for lack. Specifically for the lack of defining and personalising software dials and options when it comes to digital representation. The penis is missing, as it is within many digital softwares. Though various softwares allow us to experiment with reality and self-representation, some parts of the physical are still not translated to the digital. This comes into particularly clear focus as we step into the gender discourse, where trans bodies do not have a space. But wider than that, we see a lack of personal expression in the creation of avant-garde hairstyles, like for example my mullet, and tattoos. If we are striving for better representation, we need to consider a more diverse range of body modifications, for gender to be explored, as well as genitals, piercings and body art so that we have the options to fully represent a person’s IRL identity in URL.
Censorship is a massive issue, for everyone, not least sexy artists. Is irl censorship being recreated in the meatverse?
When using avatars and digital representations of ourselves, we are often still censored online, despite the avatars not being a direct capture of a physical person, they’re an artistic image! Perhaps this is because the work we create using digital avatars is HD and super realistic. Perhaps it’s something else.
As I mentioned earlier, the avatars that we work with do not have genitalia. They’re like Barbie dolls to be played with, moved around into positions sure, but they don’t have genitals. It’s bizarre - they have teeth and a tongue, but only a smooth, inner-Barbie-crotch-stump.
So who else is making sexy art? Come on, don’t be shy. Tell us, who’s sexy?
You’re sexy, x
[I’m blushing. Ed x]
Finally, what is the future of sexy art?
The future of sexy art is optional not obligatory censorship for the viewer.
The future of sexy art is blended digital & physical immersive experiences combining mark making with sculptural pieces.
The future of sexy art is one that hits all five senses together at once.
Thank you Cattytay.
Cattytay is Creative Director and Co-Founder of Institute of Digital Fashion. As a queer, self-taught 3D designer and artist, Cattytay is globally recognised as the first pioneer of digital fashion, spearheading industry conversations on inclusivity, diversity and digital fashion’s future. Cattytay specialises with world class expertise in garment fabrication and simulation and is an expert and lead in CLO, Marvelous Designer, Zbrush and Daz 3D.
Graduating in Textile Design at Chelsea College of Art 2016, Cattytay has been working in fashion tech since holding roles at Merlin entertainment and building a notable community for 400+ 3D makers DIGI-GXL, a platform for women, queer, non-binary and trans folk, offering software and technical guidance, industry advice and creative support to a community of creators.
Seen as the most crucial stakeholder in building an inclusive space for makers in the fashion arena, partners and clients include, Louis Vuitton, A Cold Wall, Balenciaga, Alexander Wang, NIke, Adidas, Vogue, Highsnobiety, Rick Owens. Cattytay has had notable features in Dazed, It’s Nice That, Creative Review, Vogue, Business of Fashion, LOVE, Complex and WWD.