Projects from Helge Fischer
name
Helge Fischer (hfischer)
location
country
germany
university
Royal College of Art
department
Interaction Design
university address
Kensington Gore
SW7 2 EU London
university country
united kingdom
url
http://www.interaction.rca.ac.uk
id
0011068
title
Safe Cuddling
professor(s)
Dunne & Raby
rank
1544
tags
3d design film interaction design
year of making
2010
project url
http://www.hfischer.info/safecuddling.html
uploaded
2010-08-10 13:18:55
The suit allows for the innocent cuddling of children by helping adults to maintain their integrity. When the child wearing the suit is touched for too long or in inappropriate areas an alarm goes off (flashlights & bells!), first gently hinting at potential ambiguities, finally assertively reminding the parent or care-taker and others around of their responsibility.
I then went out and showed the design proposal to parents, child minders and a child protection professional. What was originally intended as an ironic comment became a lot more complex. The suit acted as a tool to spark debate about rational and irrational fears, about risks, technology, the media and attitudes within society towards children's safety.
Does our desire to eliminate uncertainties and avoid risk lead us to become even more fearful? Can humour be an appropriate tool for challenging dark and uncomfortable social issues?
