Fabric origami, a dancer and sonorous music are among the elements that inspired Cornell apparel design majors in the Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design to create wearable works of art for the Fourth Barbara L. Kuhlman Foundation's Fiber Arts and Wearable Arts Exhibition.

Seven students received grants from the Kuhlman Foundation to fund their creations, which will be on display in the Mann Library second-floor gallery through Oct. 17. The theme of this year's exhibit is "Red!"

"Our students have outdone themselves this year," said Anita Racine, a senior lecturer who, with fashion design colleague Associate Professor Van Dyk Lewis, closely mentored the students through their yearlong design process. Lewis remarked, "They've put so much thought and consideration into developing their artistic concepts, and then meticulously detailed the work."

Junior Nhu-Thu Nguyen incorporated elements of Asian culture in her "Monsters Under My Red" gown. More than 100 modular interlocking shapes of fabric origami in various proportions are hand-tacked to the voluminous under dress. The snake-like origami tentacles wrapped around a mannequin's neck and body clutch a pale and lifeless form. Junior Meghann Shean's "Seeing INfraRED" depicts an artistic interpretation of a dancer's skin temperature in an infrared body scanner. Shean used rug-hooking techniques to layer satin ribbons through a mesh base. Blinking, electroluminescent wires enhance the colorful surface texture.

In her piece "Vibrato," fashion designer Laura Kung '10 creates visual representations of sound. She layered more than 200 yards of red, pink and white nylon tulle and carefully folded it into cascading ''sound" waves. "I tried to create image as sound and evoke sound as a visual image for the viewer," she said.

Kuhlman, a lifelong supporter of the fiber arts, achieved world-renowned status as a collector, lecturer and author in her field. The foundation continues her dedication to fiber arts with philanthropic sponsorships and grants.

Erika E. Kuryla, president of the Kuhlman Foundation, said that Cornell students are carrying on Kuhlman's passion for exploring fiber arts. "Every year, we're more and more impressed with the creativity of the scholarship recipients," she said. "They are doing amazing work."

Sheri Hall is assistant director of communications at the College of Human Ecology.