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Your name is Teresa Almeida and you're from Portugal. Why is it that you're calling yourself for Banho Maria, and is staying in Singapore right now?
Banho Maria, as written in Portuguese, is the term for a cooking technique used to heat substances to a controlled temperature, a concept similar to the one found in chemistry. In popular culture it can also mean leaving something in standby, which back in the day I thought as being a good metaphor for most of my work and life, something that is slowly coming together. And for now Banho Maria is a URL only, but soon it will become a studio/lab.

I have been based in Singapore since Summer 2008. I moved here to teach at LASALLE College of the Arts, in the Faculty of Media Arts.

How did you get the idea for "Modes for Urban Moods: Space Dress", and what kind of thoughts did you feel during the process of getting the work accomplished?
Modes for Urban Moods was my Master Thesis project back in 2005. At that time I was living in New York, and in the process of deciding what to do as my final work I knew I wanted to focus on wearable and soft technology, somewhat a novelty at the time, and inflatables. Modes ended up being a series of wearable concepts/designs that originated as a form of personal expression, and questioned if technology could make us happier and help us living our everyday life. Nonetheless, I wanted it to be humorous.

You're describing "Modes for Urban Moods: Space Dress" as a suite of wearable coping mechanisms which explore relationships in public spaces and materialize invisible social networks. So my question is: How does your work explore relationships in public spaces and materialize invisible social networks?
Modes for Urban Moods consist of four elements: Emergency Ring, Loud Bubble, Space Dress, and Wings. Each addresses different needs - the need to escape, the need for space, the need to breathe, and the need to ask for help or reclaim attention. Each is designed to (re)act under a specific set of circumstances such as stress, claustrophobia, panic, or comfort. And they are intended for everyone. Though maintaining individuality but because they are designed for use in the public social sphere, they are prone to affect and have an effect on both user and audience.

Final question: It is not so often that you can see textile materials been used on a humanoid robot. What kind of knowledge can a roboticist who's researching in human-robot interaction get from your work: "Modes for Urban Moods: Space Dress"?
One of my main interests has been exploring materials and applying them in unconventional ways. Maybe textiles can help in humanizing computing, by bringing down the barrier between hardware and (soft)wear.