Vista

An Introduction — Fashion and Multiple Perspectives

Francisco — 2025-06-20

From Tangible to Phygital: Creative Methodologies and Physical–Digital Integration in Contemporary Post-Digital Art

Nelson Caldeira — 2025-07-29

This study aims to present the articulation between a proposed phygital taxonomy and the a/r/cographic methodology, thereby offering an integrated methodological framework for analysing and guiding contemporary hybrid artistic practices. In recent years, contemporary artistic creation has been characterised by the fusion of the tangible and the virtual — a phenomenon referred to as "phygital". This concept describes the interconnection between physical and digital elements, which is redefining processes of production, appreciation, and interaction with art. The phygital taxonomy presented here enables the mapping of new hybrid territories. It facilitates a detailed evaluation of the symbiosis between the material dimension, including technological devices, and the virtual or digital dimension, resulting from the execution of code or the reproduction of digital media. The a/r/cographic methodology, in turn, structures the creative process around three essential axes: aesthetics (the cognition, emotions, and sensations elicited by the work), aptitude (the technical and conceptual skills demonstrated), and function (the socio-cultural and communicative impact of the work). The artwork Texel2048Loom, developed by the first author of this study, illustrates the proposed approach. This text also underscores the need for further refinement, particularly in ethical, cultural, and multisensory dimensions, offering clear contributions to future research and practice in post-digital art.

Putting on the Glasses: Cosmotechnics of Dressing in Nordeste Futurista

Lara Victoria Sorbille — 2025-06-05

This article analyses the first two tracks of the visual album Nordeste Futurista (Futuristic Northeast) by artist Luana Flores, exploring how clothing and art direction are fundamental elements in establishing the “futuristic” narrative that the work projects onto the territory, challenging stereotypical representations of the Brazilian Northeast. Through the lens of cosmotechnics (Hui, 2020), the study examines how Flores’ work aesthetically dissolves the supposed opposition between ancestral and contemporary technologies in dialogue with quilombola and Indigenous cultures of the region. The analysis focuses on clothing as an element in the construction of an aesthetic discourse that challenges colonial imaginaries of underdevelopment, also appropriating the futuristic imagery of classic science fiction cinema. In this investigation, clothing technology is thought of as “cosmotechnics”, a theory proposed by philosopher Yuk Hui (2020) that refers to technology manifested in different forms, as it always emerges and carries within itself specific cosmologies and contexts, questioning the vision of a single, universal technology that is more or less “advanced”. The article examines the use of wearable artefacts such as virtual reality glasses, woven straw hats and fabrics such as chita (floral printed cotton), demonstrating how these elements carry cultural and historical meanings while at the same time being re-signified in a “futuristic” context. Challenging the neutrality of coloniality of seeing (Barriendos, 2019), we present some visual representations of the Brazilian Northeast that have been historically distorted to legitimise practices of domination. By analysing the aesthetics of the visual album Nordeste Futurista, this study seeks to disrupt the standardised imagery of the Northeast region of Brazil, which dialogues with the underdeveloped imagery of Latin America, emphasising the local cultural potential and the importance of recognising Indigenous and quilombola cosmotechnics in our daily lives and the construction of possible futures.

Women’s Clothing in Portugal and Goa in the 16th Century: A Comparative Study

Rafaela de Vasconcelos — 2025-05-15

This paper adopts a comparative approach to 16th-century sources concerning the perception of women through their clothing. It focuses on women in Portugal and Goa within the context of 16th-century Catholic society, using male-authored accounts. Understanding fashion as a marker of cultural belonging, this study examines how religious beliefs and practices influence women’s modes of dress. While Portugal maintained its Christian identity throughout this period, Goa — at the time of the Portuguese arrival — was home to a diversity of religious traditions, particularly Hinduism, which this study emphasises due to the greater availability of sources. As part of the broader Portuguese maritime expansion, Goa experienced processes of cultural exchange that shaped the roles and clothing of women in both territories. Foundational reference works include Fernando Oliveira (1993), who analyses the composition of various garments. However, due to the limited academic focus specifically on women's clothing in this context, the study also draws on recent academic theses, such as that of Pedro Castro Cruz (2023), which examines sumptuary dress across the early modern period. The research follows a historical methodology, using comparative analysis of previously studied documentary sources to pose new interpretative questions. Primary sources include the travel accounts of Jan Huygen van Linschoten (1596/1885a, 1596/1885b) and François Pyrard de Laval (1944), as well as the Extravagant Laws compiled by Duarte Nunes de Leão (1569). This study is original in comparing female clothing at two geographic and cultural extremes of the Portuguese empire, as interpreted through male perspectives.

Interwoven Letters and Images: Typography as an Aesthetic Element in Fashion Magazines

Márlon Uliana Calza — 2025-04-23

This article examines the intersections between fashion and typography through an investigation of the graphic design of specialised fashion magazines, both historical and contemporary. It first explores the relationship between fashion and modern serif typefaces, highlighting the significance and predominance of typographic style in the communicative and aesthetic processes of these publications. The discussion then turns to the imagery of typography in magazines, arguing that words acquire a distinct iconographic and visual value in their graphic design, transcending their purely verbal function. Through iconographic, documentary, and historical research, this article explores aspects such as the morphology and composition of typefaces, demonstrating how these elements sustain the visual identity and reinforce the graphic and editorial positioning of fashion periodicals. Adopting a qualitative approach that combines synchronic and diachronic analyses, the article analyses sample pages from Brazilian and international publications whose editorial scope encompasses conceptual fashion as well as fashion and luxury, including V Magazine, Interview, Dazed & Confused, Numéro, Elle, Vogue, L’Officiel and Harper’s Bazaar. In the context of fashion, typography cannot be regarded as a neutral or merely functional element; rather, by breaking conventional standards of legibility and readability, it plays an active role in the construction of narratives, communication, and visual identities.