TIME-FRAME - RSA Student Design Awards

The RSA Brief for this year was all about creating an inclusive, accessible and multigenerational kitchen. My design focuses on designing a space that works with ease of access and producing a sense of nostalgia for dementia sufferers specifically. The design uses an island consisting of three distinct materials which represent the different areas making it easier to differentiate the different areas in which a certain task can be carried out. The aspect of nostalgia is communicated through the use of digital photo frames that have been incorporated into the frosted acrylic cupboard doors. The idea behind this is to give a vague idea of what is in the cupboard by looking through the acrylic, but the digital photo frame provides a better image, for example a picture of a can of soup for the soup cupboard. My idea for this relates to nostalgia as the images can be altered depending on the age or time the dementia sufferer grew up or remembers the most. This idea helps to remind them of what the appliance does or where the piece of food is stored because they can link back to the memory they see on the screen. My hope for this design is to create an environment that has been adapted to the needs of someone with dementia and helps them stay at home for as long as they can, as the condition deteriorates. The title ‘Time - Frame’ comes from the link between the use of digital photo frames and the focus on a specific time in that person’s life.