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The Grieving Child: A Series of Tools for Children in Grief
Navn
Emma Louise Gram Heegaard
Uddannelsesgrad
Kandidat
Fagfelt
Design
Institut
Bygningskunst og Design
Program
Industriel Design
År
2020
Through research and co-creation with experts and users, this project explores how to create tools for helping children in grief. The focus is on activating dialogue and reflection through physical objects and creative processes. The series consists of four elements and is designed to support playful dialogue, expressing emotions through form, a de-stressing space and creating a place for memories. The series is made for use in grief groups, but it can also be implemented and used at e.g. home or in school.
The project explores how to break down the taboo of death to the benefit of both children and adults, focusing on the UN goal no. 3: good health and well-being.
CONVERSATION CARDS
What
• Picture cards in birch wood veneer to inspire conversations
• other: bag in linen and foot in glazed stoneware
How
• 20 cards with motives which can open up different conversations and themes
• Front- and backside: the cards can be drawn with or without knowing the motif
• Build with the cards: a playful and visualizing element
• Use 2-2 or in larger groups
Why
• A way to reflect and being able to share thoughts and stories
• Building: play out feelings and make conversations visible
• Identification and community: listen to each other’s stories
FROM FEELING TO FORM
What
• Figures visualizing different feelings and tools for making your own figures with play dough
How
• A set of 8 figures in glazed stoneware for introduction and inspiration
- the children can either make their own play dough feeling figures, or use the stoneware figures to explain their feelings
• Wooden form to help create the basic shape for the figure
• The children’s figures can be shared in the group: explaining colours, form etc.
• Wooden tray for the children’s figures: visualize how grief can
develop over time
Why
• A tool to reflect on how grief feels and ”looks”
• Making the non-physical more physical and tangible
• Express feelings and emotions through play and without words
• Making room for all kinds of emotions: both good and bad ones
You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair
MULTIFUNCTIONAL PILLOW
What
• Weighted pillow for stress relief and restlessness
• Divided into one big pillow-snake with four small pilows inside
How
• The pillow can be used as a hug around the neck, on the lap or to sit on
• It can be used alone or shared in the group
• The small pillows fit the size of a hand, and can be squeezed or held
• Made from cotton and linen on the outside and polyester filling and grape seeds inside = weight and fluffiness
Why
• To create comfort, concentration and presence
• To support feelings and reactions
• An opportunity to tangle with something without disturbing
• Stimulates the senses
MEMORY LAMP
What
• Portable LED table- and night lamp with room for personal memories, and built-in bluetooth speaker for playing soundclips and music
How
• The lamp is introduced in the group, but is to be taken home
• A standard A5 paper fits inside the transparent cylinder
• The paper can be decorated with drawings, pictures, text or other
memories and placed in the lamp
Why
• A physical place for memories: a way to make them visible and present in the home
• Many children in grief are having troubles sleeping
• Getting something from the group to take home: a personal object
• A way to talk with family and friends about memories and the deceased
• Decoration for the lamp can easily be changed, and can be made at home or in the group as a part of a session
Det Kongelige Akademi understøtter FN’s verdensmål
Siden 2017 har Det Kongelige Akademi arbejdet med FN’s verdensmål. Det afspejler sig i forskning, undervisning og afgangsprojekter. Dette projekt har forholdt sig til følgende FN-mål
