Sharespace

A safe space for students to share their anxieties

Exhibition design
Social design
Art direction
Studio photography
Model-making

Team
Lucy Power
Lisa Jentsch

Timeline 3 weeks

Commended in the Institute of Designers Ireland Graduate Design Awards 2021(Exhibition Design)

Sharespace is a space where students can discuss the negative aspects of student life that affect them the most, be it financial difficulties, a disability, mental health issues, etc. The exhibition raises awareness of these issues and provides a safe environment in which students can express how they feel – with other students, through interactive displays, with colour coded counsellors or alone in a private space they can book. Whoever the student, Sharespace is a positive place.

Visitors can hear testimonials from real students and the problems they face. Students are then encouraged to give data about these issues through interactive displays. The first interactive display consists of sentences that students press if they find them relatable, making the expression of how they feel subtle. It removes the shame students may feel and the denial they would experience with blatant statements. The interactive display gathers student participation as data that is then interpreted by the digital display.

Visitors scan the QR code to hear student stories.

Student participation is interpreted in an abstract mood piece and in logical statistics.

This area has comfortable seating to facilitate discussions with other students or with a colour-coded, qualified counsellor. There is also a private area to book a counsellor for a later time or for urgent, private appointments. The amount of people allowed through the exhibition at a time is controlled to prevent overcrowding.