Featured Works
Amulet Design
A modern day amulet was designed to protect the wearer from current or future threats experienced either individually or at a community level.
The task was to keep a balance in the contemporary methods of problem solving with technology as bridge and not a solution in itself. The process was broken down into stages of research on different levels (individual and community). The chosen threat to design the amulet is a term called HUGGING MUGGERS. These are the people who not only mug others of physical belongings, but take away their intellectual properties as well.
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Empathy points and problem solving
People end up suffering emotionally due to loss of personal property. The solution to this threat is to be looked at from an empathetic point of view while dodging the sympathetic point of view. Empathy is regarded as the first step to finding a design solution. Staying mindful not only means keeping the belongings safe, but also to be reminded about the hugging muggers. The word ‘remind’ when looked at symbolically, refers to a thing/object that a person has to keep along with them all the time. The thing can be anything ranging from a ring to a bag to clothes, which led the direction of the project to finding a modern day solution to this threat. This theory provoked the question that if the object has to be contemporary, why can’t it be a garment? The basic function of a garment is to protect the wearer from the environment. The garment could act as a reminder, thus keeping the wearer aware about the possible threat.
People end up suffering emotionally due to loss of personal property. The solution to this threat is to be looked at from an empathetic point of view while dodging the sympathetic point of view. Empathy is regarded as the first step to finding a design solution. Staying mindful not only means keeping the belongings safe, but also to be reminded about the hugging muggers. The word ‘remind’ when looked at symbolically, refers to a thing/object that a person has to keep along with them all the time. The thing can be anything ranging from a ring to a bag to clothes, which led the direction of the project to finding a modern day solution to this threat. This theory provoked the question that if the object has to be contemporary, why can’t it be a garment? The basic function of a garment is to protect the wearer from the environment. The garment could act as a reminder, thus keeping the wearer aware about the possible threat.
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Design Content
Further complexities about it being gender neutral rose up which added to the complications in design and making. The complex nature of the garment was eventually simplified to the basic form of a jacket which would have a few relating visuals on it; but from the inside. The inner pockets of the jacket remind the threatened person to be aware of the hugging muggers, thus helping them deal with the possible emotional complications, without having to show it off. This contemporary amulet is gender neutral and functional as a daily wear jacket. It serves its purpose as a reminder and no pockets from the outside (and many from inside) bring down the chances of getting mugged to almost zero.
Further complexities about it being gender neutral rose up which added to the complications in design and making. The complex nature of the garment was eventually simplified to the basic form of a jacket which would have a few relating visuals on it; but from the inside. The inner pockets of the jacket remind the threatened person to be aware of the hugging muggers, thus helping them deal with the possible emotional complications, without having to show it off. This contemporary amulet is gender neutral and functional as a daily wear jacket. It serves its purpose as a reminder and no pockets from the outside (and many from inside) bring down the chances of getting mugged to almost zero.
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