Experience design studio
Stimulating emotional wellbeing, through connecting the mind and body
Visual Wash: 12 min
Do you feel different after watching "Visual Wash"?
Why empathy is needed
We live in a time period where the World Health Organization places depression and anxiety as the number one threat to human health. Around 264 million people are affected and hereby we regard only the ones officially being diagnosed by a doctor. I believe we need to regard human wellbeing instead of health. I namely see a discrepancy between being regarded as physically healthy and mentally feeling unhappy. Both, mind and body are in relation and are proven to affect each other's state of health.
As a designer I find the taboo resting on mental illness a big issue. I regard empathy as a skill we can learn. It is the key starting point towards a "healthier" society, whereby we are kinder to ourselves and the Other beings we share our planet with. How can we empower human beings to restore the connection with old wisdom readily available for everyone? To start using it as a resource.
My work is aimed at supporting the positive shift of lowering mental health issues through holistically designed interventions in the form of objects, tools, and spaces. I work based upon a method of 3 different forms of "healing": starting with empathy for ourselves by connecting the mind and body, secondly through sharing empathy for others by empowering each other in our unique talent and finally through empathy for non-human organisms, acknowledging their relevancy for the diverse eco-systems we need to foster to be able to survive on this planet.
Our Projects
Project "Aiki" - Breathing as a tool for trauma prevention
AIKI
Our body is the platform for our senses to interact with the outside world. It feeds our brain with information on how to react in certain situations. One of the only mechanisms that we as humans can alter and control is our breathing. The breath is directly connected to our nervous system. The pace that we breath can either slow us down or speed up our energy levels. This is interesting considering that when we are aware on how to use the breath as a tool, we can be more resilience in stressful moments. Through awareness of the situation and its impact on your mental state, calming the body down for it to start to relax.
Discover the project here.
Project "The Photo Room" - Communal healing through a shared experience
THE PHOTO ROOM
Throughout human evolution, we have learned that we as human species distinguish ourselves from other living species through our ability to reflect and communicate on a large scale. Due to technological developments, most of us live fast-paced lives. Whereas a lot of expectations are placed on the purpose and success of our individual lives. In Western societies, this feeds into individualism. Making the sharing of emotions, one of vulnerability and weakness.
Leaving us isolated from the intercommunication we need the most namely the sharing of our struggles. Individuals who are whole beings, meaning they value life beyond their own ego-centrism are able to share without expecting something in return. What if we start to see "being vulnerable" as a strength? Making it a self-intitiated means to inspire the people around you to start doing the same.