Ethan Arff
Pinch project
How often do we appreciate the mobility we have?
A work of public furniture/installation which revolves around the theme of invisible disability, in particular to that of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The goal of the project is to highlight RA, and debunk the notion of it being exclusively a "geriatric" disease, doing so by questioning taboos and commonly associated stereotypes. The hope is that addressing the aforementioned will open the general public up to be inclusive of alternative patient personas and for them to contemplate the luxury of their own mobility in the process.
Insight
Those who question validity aren’t necessarily doing so out of malicious intent, rather people aren’t well informed of there being a patient spectrum with disease.
Most people who still have their mobility don’t often take the time to recognize and appreciate it; a lack of mobility being an abstract notion to most, which results in them being less sensitive to those who struggle.
Idea
Design a public furniture piece which can exist to interrupt routine and provide a means of facilitating a public discussion on the topic of RA and other invisible disabilities.
Impact
Introducing people to the concept of having a compromised sense of mobility, with the end goal of facilitating sensitivity and understanding towards those who deal with any form of an invisible disability on a daily basis.
Biography
Recent OCAD graduate of Industrial Design with a wheelhouse in furniture and product design. My work seeks to reinterpret materials and processes typical to mass production to that of a smaller scale craft context. Thinking through making, having fun.