Fiber Form Uniforms

From 1991 onward, the technical and conceptual evolution in the A-Z Uniforms Series gravitated towards increasingly direct techniques. For instance, the Personal Panel Uniforms were created entirely from rectangles of fabric, and the Single Strand Uniforms were made from a continuous strand crocheted into the shape of a garment, with no cutting or sewing.

The ultimate evolution of this technical exploration was to reduce the use of materials to pure fiber. The Fiber Form garments were created by hand, felting wool directly into the shape of a garment. "The technology of felting (rubbing wool covered with hot soapy water with my hands) meant that I was literally using my body to make a covering for my body - and in doing so, inventing my own way to make shirts and dresses that did not require weaving or knitting. I developed a technique for “felting in the round” so that no seams were involved."

This body of work is encapsulated under the heading "A-Z Advanced Technologies," which plays off of the way that something can be both incredibly primitive and quite sophisticated at the same time. In other areas of A-Z Advanced Technologies Zittel began to develop new materials and fabrication strategies for furniture and objects used in the practice of my day-to-day living.