Large Vinyl Prototype

interlocking modular vinyl tile; each triangle 7 x 7"

details

Small Vinyl Prototype

interlocking modular vinyl prototype; each triangle 3 x 3"

Modular Tiles

EVA Foam Prototype

scored foam tiles to be made from EVA foam

Magnetic Prototype

muslin covered acrylic tiles [rare earth magnet inserts for connecting], each triangle 7 x 7"

Snoezelen Room

Originally developed in the Netherlands, the “snoezelen” is a therapy for people with autism or developmental disabilities. The Snoezelen Room has been designed in a form that provides one with stimuli to various senses through lighting effects, colour, sounds, music, scents etc… For example, the combination of different materials on a wall may be explored using tactile senses and the floor may be adjusted to stimulate the sense of balance.

*I heard about the Snoezelen Room when I visited Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation center, which is a children’s hospital for children who have had surgeries, or health related concerns that hospitalized them for an extended period of time. The center provides children with an array of resources and programs; the snoezelen room being one of them. I began my process by developing a form that could be found in this type of environment.

fascinating.

tangle toy

time

*these thoughts are not entirely thesis related, but they do speak truth to where my head has been throughout the development of my thesis work

time has always been such a strange idea to me.  we worry about not having enough time to finish tasks and we complain about its vast measures when we're faced with brick walls of boredom.  time was created to be simple; to be a system for determining the sequential relationship between two events.  and yet I so often struggle with understanding its simplicity... most of the time its staring me right in the face.

these past few months have taught me a lot about the importance of investing time in others.  perhaps not always in a form that requires great lengths of physical time, but might just entail initiating short but honest conversation, expressing a genuine smile to the daily stranger I pass every day, or offering a listening ear when I have piles of homework on my mind.  and I can not fail to mention the ways in which others have shown such great kindness...  like a friend who prepares me a brie/pear rye sandwich for no apparent reason, a sick friend who goes out of her way to offer me a listening ear,  and as noted below - the genuine words of a talented housemate...

these hearts of ours were made to love, strung with live wires of compassion and mercy, and yet this flesh and this will is so unwilling to yield. - m.hers

Susan Cutts

Fairy Tale by Susan Cutts [paper dress]

Modular Play Structure

simple aerial view of a child's playroom

Flor Play

one group of Flor tiles; rendered as a table top toy

Play

tabletop; each tile is composed of 24 triangles which fit together to make the tabletop.  the puzzle pieces are held together by magnets and can be picked up and manipulated as one desires.

manipulated tabletop; lends itself to play

Floor Installation

experimentation with scale and interactive floor installations; initially the carpet is held to the floor with magnets, but can be lifted easily to play and build one's own creation [as seen above].  the installation simply lends itself to facilitate play.

Mark Jaroszewicz

Metamorphic Numerals by Mark Jaroszewicz

Modular Wall Tiles

modular wall tiles made with Flor carpet samples

Children's Wall Tiles

children's wall tiles [sewn fabric with eska board inserts for structural support]

Modular Wall Tiles

modular wall tiles [leather and linen lined with eska board for durability]

Dimensions

two dimensions

three dimensions

Tactile Materials

experimenting with modular forms and tactile materials [corduroy, woven wool, felt, and linen]

Wool Felt

wool felt tessellation

after laser cutting several right-angle triangle wool felt triangles, I ironed them to interfacing to provide a foundation for the shape as a whole.  however, the felt that I was working with was not dense enough to support its modular structure.

experimentation with modular felt tiles

Interlocking

Flor Carpet Samples

Made You Look - Turquois

Good Vibrations - Turqouise

Waxing Poetic - Blue

Remembrance - Fuchsia

Made You Look - Maize

Toy Poodle - Palm

Rake Me Over - Seafoam

Feelin Groovy - Breeze