Design Project- One
Design Project One is based on fabric construction, it includes understanding and implementing the design process by choosing an inspiration, and exploring material and techniques to create a certain direction that is individual to each project. Its limitations included that no weaving was to be done, so other, non traditional forms of surface building needed to be explored.
In order to create explorations with material I was unfamiliar with, it was important to add certain techniques and material to my vocabulary- which gave me a starting point for my design project.
The underlying theme for this project was to be either ‘Play’ or ‘Repair’, of which I chose Play. What turned out to be immensely interesting was the loose definition of the same- one can find play not only at different levels, but in everything- and it was this childlike tinkering that most samples moved toward.
The main inspiration for the Project, however, was an object/ concept that we had to choose, something we could not only mimic, but understand and gain inspiration from at both a physical, and a conceptual level.
My inspiration was 'Bananas' and the way bananas stacked, and grew
Technique explorations: I learned crocheting , wet felting, and needle felting.
WHAT IS PLAY?
Play is a very subjective term: and adding an element of play into this project meant defining what play meant to me.
And while one aspect of play is structured, carefully designed ‘fun’, simply fidgeting with an object can also be play. It is a very loose term, not even bound by the end result, such as fun.
And while play and playfulness strikes an immediate image of child-like curiosity, and free-will, play is never independent of anybody. Whether it be flirting, playing a video game, all the way to music, play is inevitable, but always seems a choice.
To me, for the purpose of this course, play is interaction. And while it can be argued that anything in the world can be interacted with at some level, I would take play as an effort by the maker, ie, me, to instil an element of interaction that sparks a sense of joy in the user as my definition.
However, the element of play changes rapidly according to the person who interacts with an object, which is something i had to keep in mind throughout the project
Using joinery and peeling as an inspiration
using a rotting, discarded peel as an inspiration
Cross section models
Samples using the inside of a banana peel as inspiration
Modular Models
Sample using the growth process, as well as the stem and hand structure of a banana as inspiration- a step-by-step process of removal/ addition.
An attempt to abstract the form above and using modular units that are simpler and stray away from the form of a banana.
“A Modular object/artefact of play that has storage”
The brief has three main parts: that of MODULARITY, PLAY, and STORAGE.
Play was an element that was a part of this project from the very beginning, an aspect that made me have more interactive samples rather than more technical ones.
Modularity is an aspect of bananas that had inspired me when i first picked my inspiration, and making multiple models and samples with the same only confirmed that it was an aspect that not only was interesting, but connected well with the element of play that was ever present.
Storage was a function that i wanted to add on both for how the banana itself is a storage (as are most fruits) and for a sense of direction that it would give me toward a product- making things more interesting and streamlined along the way.
WHAT? A pillbox/ holder that has an element of play and is modular.
WHO? Older adults who want to introduce an element of play into their lives: helps with memory and cognitive ability.
HOW? Using material like simple buttons and velcro, and having a division between the textile material and the pills.
WHEN? After someone turns 60 (minimum age to be in an old age home)
WHERE? Can be a system that is voluntary, or can tie up with old-age homes.
While the first place one's mind goes to is to children when thinking of play, everyone needs play in their life. And upon further research the importance of play for older adults, aged 60 and above, seems to increase even further. While young adults can benefit from play as well, when designing a product for younger adults, or teens, the idea of ‘quick and effective’ is always present, and to me, that clashes with the idea of play, where I would imagine one to take longer to interact with something, for the benefit of the effect that it has on their day.
Hence the idea of a retired age group came to mind, an age group that may not be entirely motivated to add an element of play to their life simply for the sake of play. This is why a FUNCTIONAL aspect had to be introduced which had the element of play as a by-product. This is when i thought of pillboxes, which always seem cold, hard, and to the point.
The final prototype sketch- a pillbox/ cover inspired by the element of play that peeling bananas gives as well as modularity, made for anyone that wants to add play into their lives, but focused on an older adult population.
The modularity supports removing the individual pieces and washing/ sterilising them accordingly.
While the joinery makes the sample fun, the velcro, and button-loop mechanisms are easy to handle.
Alternate ideas using the same concept
The individual, modular unit can be cut in the above layout- while the shape and the act of peeling is accomplished, the material I used, on page 40 (view next page) was too thin/ soft, and so a more rigid fabric, or fabric lined with bakram/ interfacing may give it the structure that the peel needs to stay together- perhaps another set of stitches would have helped make it more compact as well.
Structurally sound, but not the right material- the sample is too shapeless.
CONCLUSION
Design Project one was a course fluent with exploration, experimentation, and ideation. Doing a course that is this material- heavy from home did not seem like a possibility until we started working on it.
The biggest outcome from the course for me was the increase in my textile vocabulary, which, by the end of the course, made me more efficient in translating ideas, and sketches into textile realities. Even when an outcome was not ideal, it equipped me to understand what the reason behind it really was.
Mentor: Sucharita Benewal
