Spatial Expander (Jerron)

ON DISPLAY

Rosa Weinberg and 3 OthersTeresa Lourie
Nya Rudek
Nina Cragg

The Brief

Nina Cragg and 2 OthersTeresa Lourie
Nya Rudek

Jerron is a young, multitalented artist. He proved his worth when he began dancing at age 20 despite the cerebral palsy that affects his left side. When speaking to Jerron, my group and I picked up on a phrase he used repeatably. The idea of "taking up space" is something he has constantly found appealing throughout his life. With his disability, he found himself having to make the space he deserved because no one would do it for him.

My group and I took this idea and dug deeper. We looked at the idea of expansion. We used origami and different paper pop-outs in order to give Jerron the chance to "take up" more space in a wearable form. We played around for weeks trying to get a design that we felt truly represented Jerron. Eventually, we decided on a simple design that he seemed fond of. This design has petal-like objects coming off his shoulder, reaching down his back. These petals lay flat until Jerron pulls a string which causes the petals to stand up, expanding. These petals are made of thin rolux which is a strong plastic material that looks 3D even though it is only 2D. These pieces are attached to a 3D printed piece that allows the petals to rotate 180 degrees. This piece connects the petals to a harness while allowing them to move freely when prompted to do so. 

Process

Nya Rudek and 2 OthersNina Cragg
Teresa Lourie

3 Slides

Nya Rudek