Clacker- Looking Outward 01
I chose to watch Sara Hendren’s 2015 Eyeo lecture. To quote her website, She “is an artist, design researcher, and professor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She makes material art and design works, writes, and lectures on adaptive and assistive technologies, prosthetics, inclusive design, accessible architecture, and related ideas.” She designs objects and interventions that question the idea of what is “normal” while providing enlightened solutions to the many problems people face when they bump up against societies restrictive idea of normalcy. She is able to provide both practical solutions that double as poetic gestures, by working with experts on the issue, those effected by it first hand. Whether it is building a podium for someone who does not fit the standard podium size, or designing ramps for skateboarders and wheelchair users, she gathers her research from the source, and works with the people she is designing for. The final product embodies both an elegant design object, and a conceptual work of art, as the expert simplicity of her solutions highlight the serious neglect of otherness in design. I was particularly taken with her ability to talk about her work and act as a surrogate for neglected voices in design. She has expert public speaking skills, and I learned a lot about how to organize a presentation by watching her present.