Press Release
Chloe Marcela Coelho Is Honored with the A' Design Award for Uncomfortable Immersion Toolkit in Social Design
Chloe Marcela Coelho honored for social design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Uncomfortable Immersion Toolkit by Chloe Marcela Coelho has been granted the A' Design Award in the Social Design category. The award was conferred within the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Uncomfortable Immersion Toolkit
Uncomfortable Immersion is a grief support toolkit for bereaved adolescents. The toolkit centres on a guide book that helps young people build personal ritual objects and process loss at their own pace. A memorial pendant is shaped from the signature of a loved one, 3D printed in PLA and cast in sterling silver. A silk scarf is printed with a letter from the deceased in thermochromic ink, which becomes transparent above 27 degrees Celsius, so the words appear through touch. Human-centred design methods guided the work, which aims to offer support long after a funeral.
About Chloe Marcela Coelho
Chloe is a young Designer and Illustrator with an interest toward designing for the vulnerable people in society. Studying at RMIT University, she achieved First Class Honours in a Bachelor of Industrial Design. She continues to further her work through a passion for research, as well as hands on making. These skills equip her with a drive to tackle ‘wicked’ design problems that consist of many inter-related layers of empathy, strategy and resolution.
Award Record
Chloe Marcela Coelho is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Social Design Award
The A' Social Design Award is an international design competition recognizing excellence in social design by social impact designers and think-tanks worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to social designers, social brands, social manufacturers and social design professionals from all countries. Typical entries include community projects, social campaigns, public installations, educational programs, sustainable initiatives and healthcare solutions. The awarded social designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/social
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/88749
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/88749
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!88749
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/250811
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://bit.ly/2M3H4QL
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Uncomfortable Immersion Toolkit
- Function
- Toolkit
- Category
- Social Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Social Impact
- Colors
- Black, Dark Slate Gray, Light Gray, Dark Gray and Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Chloe Marcela Coelho
- Country
- Australia
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2019 - 2020
- Design ID
- #88749
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The project explores the way that our society deals with grief; particularly in adolescents. It considers the emotional complexities within grief and the socio-cultural misconceptions. Using Human-Centred Design, a grief book was created to guide the bereaving to construct ritual objects which help the adolescent process and comprehend at their own pace, while maintaining important metaphysical relationships with the deceased. Personal autonomy was strongly encouraged in their grief journey.
- Inspiration
- Grief is a universal aspect of the human condition that is rarely discussed in western society, which often frames grief as a 'stage' for people to overcome with most support occurring during the funeral. However, new frameworks suggest that grief is an ongoing process. This leaves long-term grievers without support or agency, creating unnecessary suffering. Embracing my personal experience of losing my mother at thirteen has shown me that grief is not something to be rushed or prescribed.
- Research
- Uncomfortable Immersion uses human-centred and service design ideas to provide an empathic toolset for grieving adolescents. Extended research into existing literature, interviews about loss and evaluation from psychologists and deathcare specialists provided a foundation for new concepts around grief care. The project has been heavily requested and discussed in relation to personal memorials and discourse in deathcare field. As well allowing exploration of my personal experience of loss.
- Challenge
- Institutionalized death has misconstrued grief in our society. Grievers are expected to avoid emotional depth and showing vulnerability, especially for teenagers. This alienates and discourages teenagers from dealing with grief in a healthy manner. During vast physical and mental changes, reworking identities and shifting parental dynamics, a loved one's death is crushing. While initial support around the funeral is crucial, support is often scarce months after a death when it's needed most.
- Realization and Technology
- The companion artefact to the grief book, 'Without Expectations', was a pendant made from the signature of a loved one which was 3D printed in PLA and cast in sterling silver. The grief scarf uses a unique black thermochromic ink that becomes transparent above 27C. This was infused into silk containing a printed letter from their lost loved one, that only appears with the ritualistic gesture of touch. The novel manufacturing process for the resultant scarf required many iterations to perfect.
- Operation and Interaction
- Without Expectation is a practical guide for adolescents in a time of loss. It approaches the subject with sensitivity, that respects the maturity and hardship the teenager has unwittingly embarked upon. Through the use of approachable stories about grief and transformation, the user is informed of harmful fallacies that are common in western society. It promotes concepts of death literacy and ritualism in mourning, including a memorial pendant and a scarf with handwriting from the deceased.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was started in March 2018 as part of the Honours Project in Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) at RMIT University (City Campus). The project was completed in November of 2018.
- Specifications
- 'Without Expectation' by Chloe Marcela Coelho - Width 176 mm x Depth 5 mm x Height 250 mm Signature Pendant - Width 35 mm x Depth 2 mm x Height 50 mm Grief Scarf - Width 900 mm x Depth 0.5 mm x Height 900 mm
- Keywords
- Grief, Death, Ritual, Empathy, Social Impact, Adolescence, Support, Mourning, Pendant, Scarf
