Grace Laffeaty

My final project allows the participant a moment of escape from a world emerging from the pandemic but in the grip of a technological revolution. The design aims to build on the practice of Shinrin-Yoku translated from Japanese as the art of “forest bathing”.

By disconnecting from the busy world around you and bathing in the atmosphere of the forest, just being present and experiencing all the environment has to offer through each of the five senses, the Sensory Kyanopi benefits both mind and body. The design helps to reflect the restorative power of the forest and the importance of this connection in preserving nature alongside our physical and mental wellbeing.

My first project focused on Form and Materials introduced me to practical workshop based making skills with renewable materials. The chair I designed gave me an appreciation of the technical parameters that surround sustainability, ergonomics and function. This project gave me complete creative freedom from testing the limits and properties of a material like bamboo. Understanding that bamboo is so versatile its properties are flexible when it’s green and how once it has dried it is super strong and will hold in great tension without breaking unlike other materials. Details that could only be explored from working with the physical raw material. The final outcome was a chair made from bamboo and Ash and Pine.

My intention was to design a desk office screen which creates a physical barrier between users; acting like a shield to help reduce the spread of air-born infections from coughs and sneezes. It also separates the desks/workspace to provide a more privacy, without blocking out all sources of light. The screen is portable and collapsible which will allow spaces to be flexible and change according to the working environments. I carefully consider the products lifecycle from the way it's manufactured to the choice materials, ultimately making it as long lasting and sustainable as possible.