This project was about designing an armor to bring attention to, protect against and potentially heal from the ramifications of a social issue. The armor needed to consist of three pieces – a head/face piece, something wearable on the torso or shoulders and a handheld piece.
My summary of “Interrogative Design” by Krzysztof Wodiczko, a reading assignment to inspire our Armor project:
Wodiczko talks about designing works that are raw and pungent to the senses but also providing deliverance from immediate suffering experienced by the victims or those around, by sustaining the sense of emergency action mindset. He speaks of how design should delve into and uncover painful history and experiences and shine a light, rather than “speak for them” which covers up the facts and the deep-cut yet least told stories that a project has the power to expose. He writes of the importance of working from within the world, rather than going in as a fixer, and having the courage to grab attention in a raw manner that may sometimes be rejected initially by the audience and their capacity to stomach it. The design should not be a “dead” symbol with a shout-out, but a live constant chant to manifest action, and successfully reach the most disadvantaged or numb.
Wodiczko’s article is very inspiring in making art, and although it seems like it shows a new way of making art, it is, in fact, the only and most real purpose and process for making art. This is not something to be perfected, which makes it more powerful because it involves constantly trying to take design to uncover dimensions that may seem depressive and disturbing and designing around those.
A relevant cause that has been and continues to disturb me is the culture around school shootings that has developed over the last twenty years, and taken a stronghold over the last five years, and I actively field questions on. So I instinctively decided to build an armor for school shootings. I designed virtual reality glasses that can be worn to enter the VR world, because parents and teachers have the difficult task of training kids as young as 6 to participate in active shooter drills to prepare for the worst, while still shielding them from what they are actually participating in. This paralleled the VR concept, because they are visually removed from reality, while still being immersed in it. On the front surface I collaged a violent scene to show “the fear in their eyes”, because they are not completely oblivious to the ongoings. I really liked a classmates suggestion to carve eye slits to show that they can “see through” the façade.
For the wearable piece, I used cardboard to cut out the shape of the Kevlar vest with adjustable straps, and on the sides I used paper mache with Section 16-11-173 from the GA constitution about Gun Show Laws, Shoot First or Stand Your Ground laws as well as the laws regulating under 18/minors to operate.
I used gym mats to create the padded front and back. I chose gym mats because they are representative of school and play, but they are also strong primary colors denoting politics, as well as the United States. To me the gym pads not only represent the young ages of the children being affected by our gun laws, reminding us of their apprehension as they exercise their fundamental rights to learn and play, but the colors also remind us of how the kids our “wrapped up in” and suffering at the hands of our politics. Lastly, it is to remind that with all of her potential, influence and resources, America has the ability to be so much more for her children and our future.
For the third piece, I decided to make wearable arms, that adults can wear to form a protective embrace around the child wearing the vest (with the child’s permission.) The main color I used for these is purple to signify the two parties’ ideas coming together to a “safe purple zone” in which we reconcile to embrace and protect America’s children. I covered the arms in paper mache using the legislation proposed to protect and safeguard schools and the youth from gun violence.
Given how passionately I feel about this issue, especially due to the recent elementary school shootings, I came up with armor pieces that felt raw. In fact, at a point I was afraid if I was pushing it too far, but I do feel like a social issue that affects children is disturbing and the response to such an issue is bound to be disturbing, b/c of the sensitive subject matter. My peers appreciated how I was able to find material and change it up quite effectively to represent what I wanted it to, rather than what it was intended for, to bring added meaning. I allowed myself to be open and willing to find creative solutions, to the point where I felt emotional during parts of this process. This further encouraged me to disguise my armor to make it more child-friendly, and I was able to use several playroom materials to work this angle, including gym mats, jump rope etc.
