enjo
援助 - (en-jo) means support, aid or assistance in Japanese
a suicide awareness talking piece
Software used: Procreate & Adobe Illustrator
suicide awareness
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States. This is terrible because these are people that are often facing mental disorders as well or do not have the proper support system to overcome the idea of suicide.
Death by suicide
Roughly every 40 seconds (nationwide) there is another death caused by suicide.
1 suicide per 25 attempts
In the United States there are often 1 suicide per 25 suicide attempts. Suicide could be prevented sooner if there is some sense of awareness or support system in place to help.
Design inspiration
Inspired by modern day Japanese architecture, geometric shapes and dynamic form factors. I wanted the design of the talking piece that fits into any modern home discreetly but be dynamic enough that when people look at it can cause them to be curious about the talking piece.
Design Inspiration
Inspired by modern day Japanese architecture, geometric shapes and dynamic form factors. I wanted the design of the talking piece that fits into any modern home discreetly but be dynamic enough that when people look at it can cause them to be curious about the talking piece.
Design Objectives
Sketches
User experience
The user and a trusted friend or relative enter the same room as the statue.
The friend or trusted relative comments on the odd looking statue/the talking piece which gives the user the ability to talk about their struggles or the topic of suicide if they feel comfortable and or willing to talk about the topic.
The user then goes on to talk about the statue and how it stands for their/ ones battle with suicide. This can feel freeing for most people because they are given the opportunity to talk about suicide about how it has impacted their life.
This can lead to the user having an opportunity to converse with a friend or loved one about their experiences and spread suicide awareness.
Build Process
When I started modeling I created blue foam models to get the form that I wanted. Then I recreated the form out of a denser foam called OBO. This process was necessary to get the sharp edges that I could not get out of the blue foam. Finally I recreated the final form out of poplar wood in order to get a sand cast out of aluminum. The aluminum form had to be hand sanded and hand worked to get the glossy shine for the final design.
