tartanstic
Couture - Ã - Porter
Tartanstic is a Womens Couture - a - Porter collection that provides a fresh perspective on Tartan fabric using artisanal work. The aim of the collection is to promote and preserve an ancient embroidery, Zardozi in an unconventional way and to also provide work and livelihood to the artisans.
EYE.FEEL
#smartband #blind #visuallyimpaired #3dprint #lasercut #sensors #microcontrollers #actuators #socialdistancing #covid
WHAT DOES BLIND MEAN?
The word “blind” in itself does not fully describe the state of a person’s visual ability. So the answer to the question “what does a blind person see?” is that a blind person can see or not, depending on what their type of blindness is.
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The first type, functional blindness perceives light but not forms, and therefore is unable to perform everyday activities.
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Secondly, Legal blindness is when a person has a visual ability below a certain threshold.
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Lastly, hypovision is when the view may be blurry or narrow.
In short, even if they are classified as “blind”, people affected by functional blindness, legal or partial, “see” however something: they perceive the light. Unlike these people, however, people with total blindness cannot even perceive the light.
BLIND PEOPLE AND SOCIAL DISTANCING
Closed spaces, such as elevators, can be riddled with germs and particularly challenging for a visually impaired person, for example. Most people with visual impairments are afraid, not feeling able, to handle a situation by being in an enclosed space with other people. With the advent of coronavirus, leaving home wearing a mask becomes a complicated experience due to the feeling of disorientation that this causes. Of course, the higher the level of vision loss of a visually impaired person, the more complicated the challenges become. To date people tend to walk slower than usual to try to anticipate what is in front of them. In ordinary circumstances, such as the use of public transport, the challenge becomes more difficult and they are advised to travel in times with reduced attendance, such as the early hours of the morning or evening. For those who base their perception of things on touch, it is a time when alternative solutions must be found to keep the discomfort as low as possible. While the visually impaired relied on their hands to be guided in specific situations, today they use their covered elbows and forearms.
WHICH PROBLEMS DO THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED ENCOUNTER ON A DAILY BASIS?
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Overly helpful individuals: It’s very common for strangers, friends or family, to be excited to help a visually impaired person. Rushing to help the visually impaired without asking or being asked to do so, might make them feel helpless instead of independent. More-over, not allowing a visually impaired individual perform a task by themselves, does not give them the room to learn how to do so independently.
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Leisure: The lack of accessibility for the visually impaired is central to a number of the issues they face. There is a limited number of accessible activities for the visually impaired, which are as simple as a museum visit. Moreover, accessible books are not abundant either. The internet, is not fully accessible either, since numerous websites not curate content that is accessible for visually impaired.
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Often living in isolation: Lack of emotional support in diagnostic centers, limited accessibility to activities and information, social stigma and lack of unemployment are all factors that often lead to blind or visually impaired individuals in isolation. The problem for the visually impaired is not their blindness or inferior vision in itself, but their segregation from anyone else.
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Finding and keeping a job: Considering the lack of accessible work, one can already imagine why hiring a visually impaired individual would be considered a liability for a company. Having little to no opportunity to support oneself, blind or low vision individuals are incapacitated from their independence.
DESIGN BRIEF
Eye.Feel is a set of sensor embedded armbands, that can be worn on outerwear, creating an additional sense of awareness by alerting its wearer on the surroundings, environmental obstacles and people, before the touch or the physical interaction occurs. It is made with microcontrollers and proximity sensors which communicate to its wearer through unhampering vibrations on the side of the arm, front and back included. Designed with a belief that augmented sense of autonomy/ independence enhances social inclusion and gives a more serene navigation through life. When designing the object, the group's focus was on the tactility of the armbands and creating and interesting surface through modular pattern and texture using 3D printing. This would have additional practical benefits of also indicating the difference between external/internal when putting them on. The armbands are inspired by the architecture and the surroundings projected the wearer to move in, and are meant to distance themselves from typical looking health tech, by having a more modern and contemporary looking feel as well as being inclusive.
CONCEPT
As explored when researching the challenges people with visual disability encounter on a daily basis, and especially in this period when interaction with the surrounding world is afflicted by the current global situation and consequentially social distancing, this project was developed with the aim of enhancing quality of life for those in need. Not only as a means to seek avoiding contact, but to be further self-reliant in a time when others might also be less inclined to interact as well.
This project was made for a course Fashion 4.0 which investigates the world of digital manufacturing in the fashion field focusing on useful technologies for the design and production of interactive fashion garments and accessories.
In a group project of 6, Shonglin contributed through narrowing down the problem area, highlighting the social issue, creating design options, proposing the overall interactive circuit design, researching and deciding the technologies to be used throughout the design production.