ORNAMENT AGAINST CRIME:CASH MACHINE

Theft is a common crime experienced by many both directly and indirectly. The crime which I witnessed was theft of a credit card and money subsequent to a withdrawal from a cash machine at my local Tesco Supermarket.

My ornament against crime proposes to re-emphasise space and create a means by which a smaller person is able to look bigger and more intimidating to a criminal. This is done through making vulnerable areas of the body larger using both hard and soft means as well as by lighting the immediate area around them at night putting off potential perpetrators.

Ornament Against Crime: Shadow Obscurer

Walking through a crowded city street at night is much more disorientating than one might first think, we are surrounded by movement, noise and obstacles.

Streetlights are scattered around us, shop windows and headlights cascade a blur of shadows that we are unable decipher.

My ornament incorporates these elements, by attaching it at various points around the body our outline transforms, projecting an image that cannot be translated as a human figure. The ability to blend into the bustling nighttime streets of London offers many possibilities to the criminal mind.

1:1 BODY ARMOUR - EXPLODING JACKET

Design against inaction. The garment aims to break the spell of disassociation and eliminate bystander effect. This jacket empowers those who walk past a conflict in process or recently been, to stop and actively help. Or at least by the very act of stopping, the behaviour is subdued.

Designed as a response to a specific event 7 years ago, padded cells of white feathers are placed to correspond with areas of contact associated with defensive body stances during an attack. The fabric in these areas is strategically weakened, the pockets then stuffed until a point of fragility is achieved that balances practicality of use with performance in an attack.

The explosions of white feathers brand anyone who walks on past a coward, as this symbol is a relic of the conscientious objectors of WWII. The feathers then fall to the ground and create a perimeter around the event which expands with motion, wind and time, swelling to affect more and more bystanders. Anyone who within this perimeter whips up trails of feathers in their wake, clinging to their shoes and clothes as a reminder of their reaction to the event.

Ornament against crime: Creating Connections

As you walk down a crowded confined space you become intimidated by everyones gaze. Your personal space feels invaded by each person that you come in to contact with. Its not that you don’t want to make connections but you are to insecure to feel comfortable. You keep looking at the floor shut yourself away from the world and carry on with your life.

This ornament against crime is a protection against your self. It is designed to make connection with other people without your own mind and your insecurities blocking you. The light connected to the shoulder casts an artificial shadow of yourself as you walk. These shadows then connect with other shadows creating interactions with the unknown. As all the people with insecurities stare at the floor they start to notice all these inter linking shadows forming more comfortable bonds with other people.

Ornament Against Crime: Storytelling Jacket

When crime is recalled details are often exaggerated and the narrative embellished with speculation, lies and fantasies. Fact and fiction become entwined to create a rich storyline. People are excited by stories associated with crime, evident in our continued fascination with the tale of ‘Jack the Ripper’.

This ornament is designed to embrace both factual aspects of the crime experienced and a personalised version of events. The outside reflects the evidence found and physical reaction to the event while the lining consists of imaginings and memories sewn between lines of the fabric. The jacket evolves into an ornament for storytelling incorporating objects and memories.

Ornament Against Crime : Editable Personal Space

Function: the armour prevents the violation of personal space in crowded environments.

Principal idea: creating a reclusive environment that allows the occupant to regain control over their social interactions

Reacting to the natural movements of the occupant the armour offers a separation from uncontrolled physical interactions.

The circular distribution of the perimeter loops allows the force of the impact to be distributed evenly around the subject. As the coiled wire is compressed it exerts opposite reaction force on the intrusion of personal space. The force exerted on the armour is distributed around the occupant through the elastic deformation of the perimeter loops. The tension in the wire allows the ornament to deform elastically in a crowded environment and always return to its original form.

Ornament against Crime: Memory Aid

Here the crime of letting memories fade and forgetting friendships is counteracted through a constantly evolving memory aid with memory triggers and links.

Each knot relates to a memory group; various memories related to one another. The knot’s size relates to the amount of memories within that particular memory group. These knots are placed in order to shape the sheet into a hood. However these knots can be adjusted and moved in order to organically reform the shape.

Each stitched image relates to a simple memory, one which triggers a whole memory group. From this comes faint markings, images transferred to fabric through the use of acetone. These markings trigger memories that are more personal, recalled through the process of creating the trigger.

This item is designed to help with the transition of moving house through the ability to bring your memories everywhere, without the risk of them fading. It is designed to be a constantly growing and changing item, never to be finished or pristine.

Ornament Against Crime : distorting lenses

There are times when someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time when a crime happens; so that person unfortunately becomes a witness of the crime. Most of the times that person reacts by reporting to the local authorities. There are times when even that becomes dangerous for their safety as the people involved in the crime can find out who has informed the local authorities. A solution for this is to do not become a witness in the first place, but then again we cannot control when a crime is going to happen. It is for this reason that my device (distorting glasses) is all about distorting the reality so initially one does not become a witness, does not react, and therefore does not put his life at risk.

OCCUPATION KIT

This is the crime against the squatter, the crime of the wasted, unused buildings and spaces in our urban environment. Squatters occupy these spaces, regenerating the unused space into a home. They build their homes from what we discard, yet they are still pushed out by police and landlords. This costume contains all the important elements of occupying a space in order to protect the squatter, such as territory boundaries, security, door number, basic amenities, comfort, personal decoration and possession over time. By wearing this costume the squatter is constantly in occupation of their chosen space, laying claim to it and preventing their imminent removal.