Week 2

Continuing our research...

In line with our healthcare branch of investigations, we visited the Design HOPES: From Hope to Health exhibition on at the Dundee V&A.

The machine above calculates the carbon emissions of a ward and displays them for patients and staff to see in real time. This visualisation of waste could make help the people of the ward to make everyday choices that are hugely impactful to the environment and the hospital's economy. It's currently being used as a prototype in Ninewells Hospital.

Additionally, our studio watched the Adam Curtis documentary 'Hypernormalisation' (BBC, 2016) which argues that global powers have abandoned reality decades ago, replacing it with a simplified, managed version of the world. In summary, the documentary is a statement piece, discussing how strange it is that humanity has gotten so used to a perpetual state of 'the normal' that we rarely acknowledge how dire and dangerous situations can really be.

What was of particular interest to us is the way the film ties different threads of information and narrative together from a variety of sources, which at first glance may not seem particularly relevant or connected, only to then explain how they are so. The interconnectedness of systems, and the idea of discarding prior bias in order to see the world clearly, was a significant consideration for us moving forward.