Let it Go piece: Forms explorations
Let it Go is a hand-held piece made out of a found tree twig, a plastic bubble and silver. The piece is a thought piece that acts as a vessel for my thoughts and feelings of transition by recording my narratives and reflections. The recordings stored within the piece cannot be accessed immediately, however, they are saved in the piece and can be accessed at later times.
For the piece, I designed four prototypes (P1, P2, P3, P4), each with different forms and each suggesting a slightly different interaction. My thinking in creating these prototypes was that by externalising my thoughts, I would potentially become more aware of how I was feeling in the moment and thus, feel more comfortable with the change.
P1 is made of a found twig, a detail from silver that reminds us of a microphone and a plastic bubble. When I talk in close proximity to the piece, the responds to my voice by filling in with water. When the vessel (the plastic bubble) is full of water, I had to pour the water manually out of the vessel and start all over again. This was designed as a symbolic action representing the idea of emptying my feelings and thoughts.
P3 is made of a handmade crochet lace collar with a pre-produced 10s recording device (stitched at the back of the piece). The electronic component comes with two buttons; one for recording and the other for listening back. For this prototype, I only used the recording function of the component which was activated by pressing the button on the left side of the piece (stitched under the lace). I used crochet because it is an activity that I associate with my mother and it connects me with her. I remember her crocheting since my memories begin.
For the fourth prototype, I focused my exploration on how the function of the piece could inform the form of the piece. My goal was to integrate the form of the prototype with the function of the prototype in a wearable piece of jewellery. The electronic element of the piece is simply a push button, which I wanted to manifest in the form of the piece itself.
