CO-CREATION PROJECT/THE SCOODALEEPOOP

An interactive textile-based system for children with learning differences which promotes social connection and embodied learning.

Developed as a co-creation project with the children of Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School, the skoodaleepoop was a iterative research process based on rapid prototyping to solve certain design problems. Taking cues from a slinky design, the Skoodaleepoop engages like a toy, but operates like a tool. The form provides a mathematical system of communication while providing a kinesthetic outlet for children with learning differences. Designed to be a fixture in any classroom environment, this tool is machine washable and can be easily repaired for extended hard wear and use. The incorporation of post production and biodegradable materials limits the ecological impact of the Skoodaleepoop. The final design was highly successful and was submitted to a competition held by the Industrial Design Society of America.

RESEARCH & PROTOTYPES

HOW IT WORKS

Working clockwise, you can choose any two numbers and add them together, in this

example we have choose four plus five. The user then guesses the answer and flips the

scoodaleepoop inside out to check the answer.

Match the colour of the lower number in the equation to the answer’s colour, in this case the

answer is Nine. Simple colour coding and the use of a dyslexia friendly font improve legibility and support the successful accomplishment of

the operation.

EVOCATIVE OBJECT/TRAVEL PACK

A piece of critical design based upon the concepts of a short story in the book Evocative Objects by Sherry Turkle.

The Travel Pack addresses themes of what is home and world travel. For the past seven years my backpack has predominately been strapped to me whenever I leave home. I take it with me to school, to work, to jiu jitsu, to the grocery store, on my bike, on the bus and when I am on an adventure. I bought my backpack when I was living in Toronto, brought it with me when moved to Berlin and took it with me around the world. My backpack is my home away from home, it is my travel companion and above all, it is mine. After years of use the straps have been stretched and molded to my body and all the broken zippers and buckles allows only me to wear the backpack.

This evocative object draws from the metaphor of home by becoming the shape of a compass when laid out flat. A compass is the tool in which you use to orient yourself to where your going and your home. The straps of the backpack are the arms of the compass hugging close to your chest. The outside of the object is made of protective waterproof nylon while the inside is soft comforting quilt. Quilting is a large part of my culture and carries with it the metaphor of home.

RESEARCH & PROTOTYPES

The design was inspired by the traditional Korean wrapping cloth called a ‘bojagi’ which is a quilted cloth used to carry any valuables from place to place.

Material research was an important process to this project.

Being exposed to textiles and how it feels and fits to the body

influenced the final design.

OBJECT RELATIONSHIPS/AXE LAMP

A lamp designed from the story ‘The Axe Head’ in Sherry Turkles book, Evocative Objects.

Based on the physical language of an axe chopping into wood, the Axe lamp was designed to transition from its natural form to a machined aesthetic. This play between the organic and the geometric forms expresses the relationship between the origins of the material from which it is made and its function. Using walnut veneer for the lamp shade, the light is naturally diffused and by setting the shade above the base, the shade appears to float softly above the base. Made from one solid piece of spruce, the form changing from round to square invites you to touch the smooth surface. The rings of wood orienting the light bulb also expresses the idea of radiating light.

RESEARCH & PROTOTYPES

Droog’s influence and use of physical metaphor was a great inspiration for this project.

DESIGN SOMETHING BETTER/SHOPPING SATCHEL

A redesign of a grocery cart for university students.

The Shopping Satchel is lightweight, cheap and collapsible. Since the majority of students do not own a motor vehicle, the commute from the grocery store can become extremely difficult. The Shopping Satchel is a take home grocery pull cart which also doubles as a grocery bag. The primary concerns under investigation are the accumulative weight of the grocery bags and the awkward management of those bags on public transit. To address the weight of the grocery bags, the cart has been put on wheels and built with a solid frame. Attached to the frame is a singular and uniform compartment made completely out of nylon. Nylon is both reliable and water repellent and the compartment itself is capable of accommodating both large and small sums of groceries, thus eliminating the need for multiple bags. Our group has redesigned the way students will take home groceries. This project was completed in first year and was selected to be in the annual foundation show at Emily Carr University.

MATERIAL RESEARCH & PROTOTYPES

PLYWOOD TABLE

I had just moved into my new apartment and I was searching around craigslist for a work desk. I found that all the desks I could find were either Ikea computer desks which were too small, damaged and aesthetically unpleasant or really beautiful old hardwood desks which are nice but large, expensive, and since I now lived on the third floor of a building with no elevator, probably too heavy. I decided to design a desk myself and made a list of criteria that it should follow. Since I didn’t have much time between my thesis project, work, and my thesis project, it should be quick to build. Being a student I find that price of materials matters and I would like to consider myself environmentally conscious so the desk should be made from a single sheet of plywood. Finally, this has been the fifth time I have moved to a new apartment in the past four years, and if there is something I hate more than moving, it’s moving heavy and awkward things, so the table itself must be light and easy to move.

The Design

To keep the construction easy and quick to build I kept the form of the table very simple, clean lines and aesthetically modern. The table is cut from a single sheet of 60x60 ¾ inch birch plywood, and one of the greatest features is the laminated legs, which allows the table to have a unique form and is very stable. From cutlist to assembly the table took in all five hours to build, which I consider a success because it meant in an afternoon I could have a table ready to take home. Finally the legs and and skirt are held together by pocket screws and the tabletop is removable and is held in place by blocks which fit to the inside of the skirt.

Entry for the Local Wisdom Project, an international fashion research project exploring the ‘craft of use’.

The PatinaMi is derived from a sustainable system that highlights the use of fabric off-cuts or scraps. The user participates in the product’s creation by wearing through or tearing into multiple layers of fabric, revealing new colours and patterns underneath, as a way to personalize their hood and discover the beauty of patina. Our goal in the form was to provide a space for tranquility and introspection in an over-stimulating city environment. The PatinaMi becomes a personalized story that stems from material resourcefulness and tells of the tattered and torn, transformed into a unique craft. Our project was selected to be apart of a symposium Local Wisdom is hosting in London, England, in March 2O14.

CREATION THROUGH DESTRUCTION/PATINAMI

RESEARCH & PROTOTYPES