Designing for Healing
For this project I was tasked to design a product that could work in tandem with the Haus by Children’s Haus in order to help children who have faced trauma. These colorful dolls serve to help children to communicate without the need for words, and the tent provides a space to heal through play.
“While many beautiful ideas came from the semester, one stood out as having landed expertly at the intersection of play, healing, and creativity. Simply adding the 3rd wall to Children’s Haus gives a child more control over their autonomy. And when they feel ready to express themselves, the “4th Wall” of the theater empowers children to share their feelings through creative, performative play”
– Janos Stone, creator of Haus
Puppets with a Purpose
Following the form language of the Bauhaus Ballet, I worked to design puppets that could be fun to play with as well as effective communication devices for anxious or traumatized children struggling to express their feelings with words.
Simultaneously I worked to design a puppet show tent that provided an alternative space for kids to open up a dialogue between themselves and their caregiver, or simply to exist as a place for play.
Final Models
The final model consists of 3 unique puppets, each “two faced” in order to allow children to express changing emotions with each puppet. The puppet show tent is made of white felt complete with colorful felt shapes, letters, and numbers giving children another outlet to express their stories.
