My work is product design with a focus on multi-functional spaces. I made a shelving unit that folds out into a desk with shelving on the inside as well as the outside. My piece of work is based on working from home during the pandemic and how a piece of furniture can help with any stress and anxiety you may feel. My product looks at using colours to help reduce stress, the colour green being a major part of this as it is a soothing colour. With my product I have chosen to bridge the distance between working in the office to being at home by creating a product, that can be closed away after you have finished your work for the day so that you don't have to see your work until the next working day. I also looked at using plants to combat stress and anxiety by having a place on your desk to have them this is because plants can improve your wellbeing.

'(un)seen'

(un)seen is an exploration of the form and shape of the invisible networks in which life co-exists with and exists upon.

The starting point for my project was my interest in the complexity of the mycelial network and its ability to communicate information, similarly to the internet. After researching the web-like shape in the mycelial network I realised that this same shape exists in many areas of existence - neural pathways, blood vessels, lightning strikes, the internet and spider webs to name a few. The mycelial network is just one example of a host of web-like networks that surround us.

These realisations fabricated themselves into a trio of sculptural models made with wood, polymer clay and cotton. Scaled up these sculptures are intended to use the light (artificial or natural) to cast shadows to illustrate the invisible and manipulate the environment they are placed in.

@m4is13

Exploring and creating in order to benefit and improve posture and movement formed the basis of my body of work. Researching around this topic led me to discover the link between natural materials with physical and mental wellbeing, contributing to my use of this material choice throughout my work. In addition to this, I discovered that many people struggle with their own posture and movement, particularly when sitting down for extended periods.

My product aims to help benefit both posture and movement through its design to help core strength, as well as the natural timing mechanism which encourages regular standing intervals. Creating sustainably has led me to use only reclaimed/recycled materials throughout, minimising waste, and using materials and processes which do not harm the planet; this also means that the product created is fully recyclable.

The chair provides a sensory experience through its material and design choices; utilising coffee dyed fabric with grass filling forming the cover, a freezable ice cushion with grass embroidery which works as a timing mechanism to encourage standing and movement, a wooden structure which contributes to benefitting lower blood pressure rates, as well as a structured base coated in a coffee and soil mix.

'Paper Boundaries'

'Paper Boundaries' aims to challenge connotations of a commonly wasted household resource; paper. Working with a focus on encouraging upcycling and sustainable practices I led a material exploration into recycled paper that I had piling up in my room. I wanted to create a final piece that pushed material boundaries in order to open people's eyes up to the potentials of paper. This focus came from discovering that paper is one of the most wasted resources; in the uk we use about 12.5 million tonnes of paper each year, if we recycled just 10% more than we do now we could save approximately 5 million trees each year.

Each of these pieces of jewellery are folded pieces of handmade paper, the rings being made from paper clay, that I have made from recycled sheets of paper. They are designed as occasion wear pieces that have short life due to the nature of the material. If I had control over the inks used and the process of the initial sheets of recycled paper, the jewellery pieces would contain flower seeds, so that once worn, could be thrown away to decompose and promote growth of flora, this ideally would be a cradle to cradle approach to design.

My specialist area is 3D design and crafts. I have been exploring methods of sustainable crafting that can be done with limited materials and tools. I want to encourage people to make, create and craft. Much of my work has been focused as material experimentation, working with paper, clay, bioplastics, wax, moss, fabric and more to create exciting new materials.

I have worked with waste that cannot be recycled in household recycling bins, along with, ingredients from the kitchen and garden. Everything I have created is fully compostable, when you have finished with it its nutrients can be returned to the earth.

My final outcome is in two parts. Firstly this image showcasing my ‘example bowls’. I wanted to give viewers ideas of what could be done with these materials. The second part was a website preview that would allow people to access and contribute their recipes, creations and ideas from around the world.

Often advertisements will use beauty as a tool to sell a product, they make the audience feel that if they use this product they will be beautiful, using peoples insecurities to manipulate them. I disagree with this concept and I think, with the rise of self-care/self-love movements, society has as well. I wanted to tackle this problem by designing a new way to sell products, in particular, focusing on the fashion industry with its long history of models setting unrealistic beauty standards.

I chose to take advantage of new technology in the form of augmented reality mirrors where the audience can see themselves in the product, shifting the focus from the beauty of someone else to the self. I wanted to create an out of world, ethereal atmosphere where, as the audience is surrounded by art which is focused around creating an abstraction of the human form, moving away from physical constraints and seeing the persons ‘aura’, they hopefully see themselves in the same way they view theirs.

‘Imprints’

Mudrock, Silver Paint, Metal Inlets and String.

40cm x 25cm

Throughout my project I have been exploring the boundaries of conceptual jewellery through ephemeral jewellery, inspired by the designers Gerd Rothmann and Gijs Bakker I began an investigation in the material exchange between the body and jewellery.

After looking at the imprints or ‘ghosts’ left after jewellery is removed I explored how this idea could be enhanced and turned into an aspect of a wearable. This led me to design a series of stamps and incorporate the actual stamp as the item or wearable. Researching this further I conducted a series of experiments using small mudrock casts fitted to the body and a specific pattern imprinted when taking it off. I wanted the aesthetic to be similar to traditional jewellery made of gold or silver so therefore gave the cast a metallic silver sheen, this traditional look is however opposed by the temporary imprinted ephemeral pattern beneath. When looking at jewellery as a long lasting item passed down through generations, it contradicts this through its temporality and lack of materiality. The actual wearable can be worn for however long but the imprints remain only for a certain amount of time.

‘Hide and Seek’

I made a coral reef playground called Hide and Seek. The structure raises awareness of coral bleaching that’s happening in the oceans caused mostly by plastic pollution. The structure would be made from plastic that’s been locally recycled. This will create a feeling of a community as each household will play a role in reducing the plastic in the oceans. The play structure educates children through play about the sea animal’s habitat and the process of coral bleaching. It develops young children’s developmental skills through the play equipment and through the touch, sight and hearing senses.

The playground is like a timescale of the coral bleaching process. The entrance to the tunnel is plain, simple and white showing the bleached damaged coral. When children go further, the walls and floor start to have texture that could be found in the coral reefs and starts to get gradually more colourful. At the end of each tunnel there is a coral structure that’s connected by a net that reflects the pollution in the oceans that causes a threat to the reef. The coral play structures are bright and colourful showing healthy coral. Children can interact with the structures and explore the fish habitat.

My final piece has been created based on the concept of designing a character from a pre-existing narrative. Having chosen the Three Billy Goats Gruff, I have spent the last 9 weeks researching his habitat, behaviours, origins and other representations of trolls, in order to create my own version of this mythical creature.

I chose this project, as I had previously explored the world of special effects makeup and prosthetics throughout the first two units and wanted to follow a new route that related to film and character design. Developing my knowledge of craft and related techniques, I wanted to give life to a creature in a different way. My final presentation being the troll in an environment similar to that in the fairytale. Showing how he would be perceived if in a performance or on set, using the surroundings to complement the tones in his skin and the texture.

'Curls&Curves'

Inspired by the organic forms of nature. 'Curls&Curves' explores the possibility of scrap plastic as a building material, and blurs the lines between art and furniture.

'A tool kit to survive and escape isolation'

My project is a response to my experiences during lockdown. I have explored my natural desire to escape the stagnated confinement of living in halls - both physically & metaphorically.

I have drawn parallels between my own experience and the global phenomena of online echo chambers - as people are increasingly polarised in political bubbles by a hegemony of information.

Global lockdown has only intensified this; with opinions stagnating as AI algorithms reaffirmed people's own behaviours and prejudices. The assimilation of fake news and disinformation into society has led to a spiralling effect. For many it leads to a more entrenched outlook and societally, fundamentalism and extremism have begun to flourish. I experienced this myself in my own flat as my flatmates reverted into self destructive patterns which only intensified their isolation.

I aimed to explore this phenomenon, attempting to design a way to pop these bubbles (and my own) to encourage a more diverse heteronomy in my mind and immediate environment. Creating a collection of outcomes, as mechanisms of escape and survival, I made a tool kit made up of recycled materials and objects, to create humorous sometimes ironic outcomes to escape the reality of isolation.

@ambermorleydesign / www.sites.google.com/view/ambermorleydesign/home

My project explored the mapping of a space through the senses. This structure enables the audience to be involved in a sensory experience while outdoors in a natural space, aiming to concentrate and expand sensory stimulation. The structure uses heterotopias to produce a space that the user may have experienced before through previously encountered senses, linking memories to the area.

I investigated the importance of being outdoors in the natural world exploring textures through touch. Involving the local community in the planting of the trees in and around the structure. The process of planting, while learning new skills, allows others to meet new people and acts as a sheltered meeting place. This green space would lead to a sustainable structure that would grow over time with the help of its audience. Nature allows the structure to be a positive space to be used as a rehabilitation zone. The hospital, located nearby, enables patients and visitors to escape and use the space as a calm, safe area.

My final product is a collection of styles that I formed through my vast selections from my artist researches, experimenting and sketching out which of my styles cater more to my interests as this product is associated with a more personal aspect instead of a commercial objective. So in the end, I procured a style that blends skeletal elements with nature. This style originally stemmed from looking at the anatomist Gunther Von Hagens, Jonathan Ducruix and Jonas Leriche, one presented the complexities of the human body and dissects them exhibiting immense detail within, the other displayed a gruesome development of body metamorphism using photo editing softwares and the last incorporated nature with his art which I believe elevated his work to a new level.

The criteria of my chosen practice was the exploration of mixed materials and textured surfaces, as the project developed I started to steer more towards mixed materials, looking at what materials are well suited for one another depending on what I wanted to create. Eventually, I came to a decision on what product I would want to achieve by the end of this project, which was curating a product to display jewellery. A jewellery box but in a less conventional way with my personal influence on the product.

'Bring Nature Inside'

Bringing nature inside helps improve our mental health. Living in a pandemic with many restrictions and fears is often mentally draining. With this project I’m trying to solve/improve this problem. The idea behind this project was to create a space that mirrors nature and can therefore improve our mental health.

So how will it work? I wanted this whole project to be a sensory experience. We experience nature with more than just our eyes, it's about what we hear, feel and smell. I decided to pick one person and create the space based on her, a 22 year old student. After many conversations about mental health and nature as well as lots of research, I started getting an idea of how the space could look. I created a brochure to explain my thoughts and visualise the project. The idea was to create a concept which everyone could apply to his/her own space. It was more about what I can do to a space than the space itself. This project is an idea based on one person. Variations may differ from person to person.

Due to the fact that the earth is 71% water, and the worsening of climate change is making the sea level rise every year, the scenario that I propose may happen in the future is that the sea level could rise up covering the cities around the world which leads humans to live their lives on water or under water instead of living on lands, like in science fiction films or books.

My project explored the possibility of this scenario and architects who have perhaps already discovered the ideas and designs of ‘floating cities’ or ‘underwater cities’ concepts. The aim of my project is to come up with my own sustainable floating house designs. I explored sustainable materials and visited floating markets and floating resorts outside of Bangkok to look at which materials are mostly used in floating architecture and how floating structure works. My final idea is a combinational of traditional Thai architecture and modern style. I used cardboard and foam to make my model.

'Echo Time'

This project is on time. The piece above,'Echo Time' aims to communicate the arbitrariness of how we measure the 4th dimension (time).

As the reflections get further away the reflective time shown becomes slower compared to the original clock; due to the fact that the distance the light travels increases - hence so does the time.

The subject of this work is innately paradoxical, which I have exacerbated through the use of mirrors. Reflections are an entity which you can observe but cannot interact with - the direct opposite to the qualities which time possesses.

I designed this treehouse with the intent of creating an environment for people to get out and reconnect with nature because of all of the benefits it can provide for humans. I have learnt a lot about the importance of nature's psychological impact on humans and how vital it is that we have a relationship with it. Time spent in nature has been shown in studies to be an antidote to stress; it can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, improve immune system function, boost self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood.

Living in a treehouse comes with a natural living lifestyle. Living a natural lifestyle results in better care of our bodies, improved health and improved living environments. This lifestyle has a truly low impact on people and the planet. I looked at some many incredible architects, and designs but the ones that stood out most to me was Matthew Chamberlains self-sufficient, low impact urban tree pods and with precht studios “bert” designs. These designs inspired me to take a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach when creating my treehouse, which led me to use mainly upcycled and natural materials along with encouraging me to want to think more sustainably for all my future work.

'Beauty in the Wake of Destruction'

The aim of my project was to create a form of body adornment using a combination of natural materials, unused materials and pollutant materials that can be found in abundance around the world. To reduce the potentially harmful effects these materials pose for the environment and to come up with an alternate way to reuse material that would otherwise go to waste.

Through researching this topic, I discovered the purpose of jewellery as a form of protection or armour along with common features of nature, like fish or reptile scales by which mankind became inspired. Most pertinent of this knowledge is a piece of jewellery known as ‘The Gleninsheen Gorget’, an item that bridges the gap between jewellery and armour. Armed with this knowledge I created my own gorget combining the natural beauty of overlapping scales with materials that instead of harming the planet, save it by being developed into a unique form of adornment.

My product aims to benefit the world's health while also creating something from the destruction we leave in the wake of our existence, it is made with the idea that anyone can create something from the materials that are left behind.

'1, 2, 3'

wwww.beth141101.wixsite.com/portfolio

1, 2, 3 is a relevant exploration of the lockdowns during the pandemic, where I wanted to investigate how people were affected by their residential spaces and the changing seasons. The three dominant concepts; light, indoor foliage and colour psychology, are all cohesive factors that contribute to a positive environment and impact on mental.

I was drawn to the teardrop aesthetics of the product by a growing emotional response to the developing shape during the iterative design process. I have taken inspiration from spatial artists and interpreted their ideas in product form.

The outcome of this project is a hanging bedside installation – calming in its appearance and promoting the need to nurture. The acetate baffles create coloured light-trajectories, giving a sense of animation and plants grow beneath the light in the teardrop container. The product is personalised by choice of coloured acetate and interactive by tilting the baffles. The coloured baffles in my model, blue and yellow, was chosen for their soothing properties and when overlapped create a refreshing green. Photography of the model has used natural light to replicate a realistic setting.

@novasmith19 / www.vimeo.com/539754093 / www.novasmith19.wixsite.com/website

I am interested in materials, exploring and understanding processes, which helps me to develop my ideas. I am a jeweller and metalworker. My subject choice was informed by my interest in and collection of board games, some of which, mainly chess, I play often. It was a lead in from 2m*3 where I looked at doming and riveting which led me into helmets. From there, my interest derived into armour which links to the concept of opposing teams (armies) in games.

My body of research focused on investigating in depth a single game, taking elements of physical, visual and mechanical interest from the other games including, noughts and crosses, draughts and handheld pin-ball. I investigated chess by looking at the structure of boards and pieces, determining what’s necessary to the game and how time has influenced it. For example: in chess, the bishop can only move on diagonals. Research took me into looking at where the name for that specific move came from, for example: the Bishop’s hat, a diagonal ‘v’. My Bishop is based on diagonal movement, with overlaying brass tabs (resting angled) that tilt collectively when the piece is moved. My other chess pieces follow similar themes.