Design Dialogues
Exploring and refining my design narrative through interactive activities, feedback, and meaningful dialogue at the Design Dialogues exhibition.
Preparation
The preparation for Design Dialogues centered on building a compelling narrative to communicate my evolving design space while creating meaningful interactions with participants. Alongside Ziming, we aimed to immerse attendees in activities that explored emotions and sensory engagement through a combination of two different elements or activities.
One of our key elements was the soundscape map, designed to collect emotional connections to Barcelona. Using a custom-built form, participants could pin a location on the map, choosing shapes and colors to personalize their entry and share why the spot resonated emotionally. This activity sought to foster collaboration and reflection, contributing to a collective emotional map of the city.
Another highlight was the kinetic sculpture, an interactive installation co-created with Ziming. Inspired by mandala patterns, the rotating sculpture used digital fabrication and electronics to create mesmerizing visual effects. Participants were invited to sit with the sculpture, listen to two distinct audio tracks, and freely draw their emotional responses on paper. This activity blended sound, movement, and individual creativity to explore how multisensory experiences influence emotions.
The kinetic sculpture project worked as an aditional intervention, check it here.
Throughout the preparation phase, I also worked to refine my design space narrative, ensuring it clearly communicated the trajectory of my work. From early explorations in 3D printing and environmental themes to my current focus on human sensing, data visualization, and immersive audiovisual experiences, the goal was to present my evolution in a cohesive and engaging way. This preparation helped create a foundation for the event, setting the stage for meaningful feedback and dialogue.
The narrative
"My design journey explores the intersection of human emotions, data visualization, and immersive audiovisual experiences. Rooted in a fascination with human sensing and the power of technology to reveal the unseen, my work seeks to amplify emotional awareness through innovative tools and interactive installations. From mapping the emotional landscapes of urban spaces to crafting kinetic sculptures that merge sound and movement, my narrative weaves together curiosity, creativity, and connection to reimagine how we perceive and interact with our environment."
Feedback and results
The Design Dialogues was an intense but rewarding experience (my first-ever exhibition). The constant influx of attendees kept me engaged, exchanging ideas, receiving feedback, and connecting on a personal level. The event left me with a deep sense of fulfillment and valuable insights to refine my design approach.
Despite our efforts to encourage interaction, the collaborative emotional mapping exercise fell short. Few people engaged with the QR-based system to add their emotional pin to the map. Feedback highlighted that QR codes felt disconnected and unnecessary for such an intimate setting; the real value of the exhibition lay in face-to-face dialogue, not in marketing tools. This reflection resonated deeply, shifting my perspective on fostering meaningful interactions.
Additionally, some attendees questioned the feasibility of creating a shared emotional map. They suggested exploring a deeply personal and subjective map instead, aligning with my previous interventions in exploratory urban derivas. This emphasized the importance of narrative, documenting decisions and processes to create richer, more cohesive projects.
Attendees encouraged deeper consideration of external factors influencing emotions: noise, temperature, social interactions, and emphasized the need to rely more on scientific data for emotional analysis. Another critical point was the risk of oversimplifying or boxing in emotions through structured exercises. This feedback underscored the complexity of emotional design and the delicate balance between guiding users and fostering organic, subconscious exploration.
The kinetic sculpture drew mixed reactions. Some appreciated the experiment, engaging with it by drawing emotions evoked by the spinning visuals and accompanying sound. Others found the act of translating feelings into drawings limiting, preferring alternative methods like dancing or composing music. One critique highlighted the challenge of materializing emotions into a physical product, reinforcing the abstract and personal nature of emotional experiences.
Beyond immediate feedback, the dialogues opened new avenues for exploration. Feminist urbanism and the distinct emotional experiences of women navigating cities introduced a fresh dimension to the soundscape concept. Conversations with Domestic Data Streamers and references like Ekman’s Atlas of Emotion and the Endel personalized soundscape platform offered insights into innovative emotional visualization and audio-based interventions. Artist Olga Maykl’s work, painting emotions inspired by ballet movements, further deepened my understanding of multi-sensory emotional expressions.
These reflections and discoveries will guide the evolution of my design space, reinforcing the importance of narrative, context, and flexibility in engaging with the abstract yet universal realm of human emotions.
Last updated