
The Stephen Willats' Variable Sheets Dress, conceived in 1965, "could be adapted by the wearer to send messages, by configuring the zippered panels in different ways and inserting messages or signs into their pockets." Drawing on theories of social interaction and communication, this 1965 dress is like the modern cell phone.
Stephen Willats is a pioneer of conceptual art. Since the early 1960s he has created work concerned with extending the territory in which art functions. His work has involved interdisciplinary processes and theory from sociology, systems analysis, cybernetics, semiotics and philosophy.