The latest studio assignment has been to come up with a device that changes the experience of commuting. My concept for the project was based on what I see as the primary difference between someone’s commute and the rest of their life. This is to say, commuting puts you in very close contact with a lot of strangers; the rest of your life is considerably less crowded and awkward. The commuter faces a choice then, to either attempt to engage the people around them or to try and isolate themselves in a comfortable manner. You can either strike up a conversation or plug in your iPod. My response to this project is a more aggressively spatial version of plugging in your iPod.
[The tolerant individual wearing the device is Lizzy, who I am planning to get a sketchbook for in gratitude to her always being willing to do this sort of thing when asked.]
The “fan”, “peacock tail”, whatever you want to call it is able to fold up into the backpack and be zipped in, concealing it entirely. This is based off of something a read about a frog’s coloration: the frog is usually camouflaged to its surroundings until it feels threatened and then it exposes its belly, which is brightly colored (indicating that it’s poisonous) to ward off attackers.
[A fake safety card detailing how to deploy the device.]
