Self-Initiated Project - 'Urban Memorial'
“An accessible multimedia motion chair to enable the remembering of deceased loved ones through creative, immersive engagement in mementos and other kinds of remains”
Self-Initiated Project - 'Urban Memorial'
For city-dwelling people who want to remember their loved ones, but find it difficult to access both the specific memorial site (such as a grave, especially if it’s overseas) and even any peaceful reflective local space that suits their needs within their own busy city. This person wants to have a richer reflective experience concerning their departed loved ones that contrasts with the daily distractions of the city.
Self-Initiated Project - 'Urban Memorial'
Contemporary life is becoming increasingly urban - more people are living in cities and their lives are increasingly busy making it difficult to make space for traditional acts of remembrance - especially when these acts require traveling great distances out of the city. Yet there is still a need to deal with emotional and rational responses to death - not just in one moment (often at the point of internment), but as a regular aspect of daily life.
Self-Initiated Project - 'Urban Memorial'
There are currently important city-based sites that function as places where the living and the dead can be brought into healthy proximity. However, such places require a large amount of inner-city space - is unlikely to be preserved in the future as city populations expand and cities themselves become more densely populated. Indeed, space is already becoming an issue for the nonliving: graveyards themselves are becoming full and there will be insufficient land in which to bury the dead. Moreover, how we live now is very different to the days in which traditional burial and remembrance practices were created.
Self-Initiated Project - Drawings
People are more internationally mobile - moving across the world to study and work and becoming less physically attached to their traditional home regions, often consolidating their movements to urban centers. This presents a designable moment: how might a product serve these mobile people in ways that static, singular memorial sites (such as graves) do not? People are more time-limited, which curtails their ability to make long journeys to these static sites. Nevertheless, people still have the desire and need to connect in some way with these sites. This presents another designable moment: how can we preserve the deeply affecting aspects of time-consuming pilgrimage for increasingly time-limited people?
Future Experience Project - 'EmpowHer'
EmpowHer is a kit aimed at young girls going through first menstruation in the Global South to provide education and physical resources to help them through the transition and also to provide context and education for older and younger generations of women. When the daughter approaches the age where she may have her period, the mom can sign up for this program. The kit includes reusable menstrual pads, menstrual pad DIY, information of menstruation cycle, a disease tester, hygiene products, a pouch, and a bottle with brush cap and dirt filter.
Future Experience Project - Drawings
My project will help to normalize menstruation. Turn the process from scary into anticipatory, and begin to teach women how their bodies will be changing and what they will need to stay happy and healthy. The kits will begin to build up a culture of women supporting each other and celebrating their bodies. This show girls that having a period is normal, there will be less shame and more opportunity to seek out resources. The goal is to reduce stigma and get young girls comfortable with the ideas. We will create a positive experience for their first menstruation moment.
Future Experience Project - Drawings
Future Experience Project - 'EmpowHer'
Future Experience Project - 'EmpowHer'
My final prototype is a kit aimed at women going through menstruation in the GS to provide education and physical resources to help them through the transition and also to provide context and education for older and younger generations of women.