The Vibration Vault came about after I remembered an experience I had back home in Ghana. I visited a school for the deaf and the blind; I’m usually the one who played music on our trips, but this time I didn’t think it was needed because i felt like the deaf people in the school wouldn’t really be able to hear the music. So I asked my teacher if it was necessary to take my speakers or not. Long story short, I took my speakers and I realized that some of the kids were making an effort to experience the music by touching speakers and other things that sort of transmitted those vibrations. Here is a PDF that talks my whole process in making my object, The Vibration Vault.

Vibration Vault

Upon seeing the Venice work and the Venice videos I was very intrigued, especially by the size of the Venice Work, and how there were so many of the little clay forms. The stories they addressed were also very interesting because some of them were very related.

The exhibition space for the Venice Videos was very captivating as well, however the number of videos in that room to me although from the same artists had very contrasting themes. Some about animals, others about food, sports and lifestyle.

I came up with drop, mainly because I see a problem I want to address (don’t all designers have problems to address?). The number of students killed in schools by guns is frightening in this country. It happens so often that people aren’t even shocked anymore, when it happens. So, this is the problem that drop is addressing, not how to make people shocked, but how to limit or effectively stop these school killings. Here’s how I wish to do it.

I initially began by thinking about redesigning the gun, but this seemed very pointless to me. Not because, I don’t think I can do it, but because there are already so many guns in the system first of all, and also why would or should anyone even buy my gun? This to me seemed like a lost battle.

I then started thinking about changing the gun laws in the country, however this also to me wouldn’t stop anyone from getting their hands on a gun and causing some serious damage. I do acknowledge that it’ll effectively make it harder for people to get their hands on guns, but with drop people won’t even have to worry about that, because no matter what happens, if someone really wants to get their hands on a gun, they will.

So drop is based on a missile detection system, except this time for bullets. The system detects the bullets and then deflects them, by letting them drop, thus the name was born!

By the end of next week, I should be done working on a chunk of stuff like the project plan and concept plan (which I am sternly still working on) as well as my material list of things I need to buy to complete the project.

I am very hopeful for this project and I am putting a lot of time and effort into it, because I want to see it come true and really work on it after school.

This is my drop design brief.

STATUS REPORT 1

I am kicking of this project by, really finding out what I want to portray my brand as, what story I want it to convey and how I want to convey it, so this week is just mainly going to be about that. However, I am also thinking of how I want whatever I want to do to look like. Like the things I want to build, why I want to build them like that and where to start from. So a bit of this week is also going to be dedicated to the overall structural design of my project as well.

I have started using sketch up, to sketch some ideas of the prototype building I am thinking of building for this project. Also I am doing my own side sketches on my iPad, using paper to help guide and influence this design I am working on, on sketch up. It’s sort of annoying working with a lot of different programs, mainly because you don’t get to experience all of them in their specific formats, because they are exclusive to that device only.

I will be uploading my Brand Toolkit and Updating it from time to time, because I feel it’s an ever changing document which really needs a lot of thinking through (thought).

By the end of next week, I should be done working on a chunk of stuff like the project plan and concept plan (which I am sternly still working on) as well as my material list of things I need to buy to complete the project.

I am very hopeful for this project and I am putting a lot of time and effort into it, because I want to see it come true and really work on it after school.

This is my Brand Book/Tool Kit for NSU PA! (still being updated)

STATUS REPORT 3

Writing a Weekly Status Report

Status reporting is an essential part of managing creative projects. The main objective is to keep project stakeholders (including the designer) aware and informed about the status of their project’s scope, schedule, deliverables and accomplishments and risks. It helps you to keep the project headed in the right direction.

In the context of the integrated design program, a status report is a tool to inform both Integrated Design Studio faculty as well as serve as an opportunity for the student to reflect upon their project’s progress, assess any risks, identify needs (skills, materials, collaborations, etc.)

Project status reports are prepared on a weekly basis. The faculty in the Integrated Studio core class is requesting a weekly submittal. The following describes the sections of the Project Status Report template and the information required in each section.

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Project Name: Nsu Pa

Reporting Period: From 19/November/2015 To  16/December/2015

Prepared By: Kwaku Opoku

Scope Summary: I am building a system that filters and recycles water in real time.

Evidence: Include drafts and images of work in progress, drawings, research, photographs, graphics, etc.

SUMMARY 

At the moment I feel I’m doing ok with my project, I am still playing around with some ideas to make it better. However I’m still in a serious dilemma where I’m not sure whether to actually have the central building built for my final critique or just go ahead with building the system. I am also tweaking some parts of my brand book to make it take form more and also tell a better story about what i am doing.

PLANNED ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND COMPLETED ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

Planned Accomplishments: Project plan, brand toolkit and materials list.

Completed Accomplishments: I essentially finished the brand book, but I’m still adding things where I think will be best, but i essentially finished that. I also finished my project plan.

Worked Planned Last Week

By the end of next week, I should be done working on a chunk of stuff like the project plan and concept plan (which I am sternly still working on) as well as my material list of things I need to buy to complete the project.

Work Completed Last Week

I uploaded my Brand Toolkit and I am still updating it from time to time, because I feel it’s an ever changing document which really needs a lot of thinking through.

Work Planned for Next Week

I am going to finish building the system, that is my main goal.

Open Issues

I don’t know if the system will work the way I want it to.

Open Risks

System may not work the way I want it to.

Deliverables and Milestones

I will be done with the system by next week.

Question: In what ways can we help provide clean recyclable water in Pokuase, in Ghana

Reason for Question: This question came about because, in a lot of places in Ghana, there are issues with water being easily accessible. People do you want to in their homes but not all the time because there’s a limited supply there. So what I was thinking about this with this question, was how I can help with to this what we already had. If I could devise some kind of system or mechanism to help me do this

Why is this an issue?: Beyond people not being able to buy, and lack of clean drinking water causes huge problems in the country. In more remotes parts, people (especially children)have to walk miles and miles to get whatever and this takes up most of the time, and you should be deprives them of a good profitable education; because the end of doing this more than any other thing. Also without water, cooking becomes difficult and deprives us of doing other essential  things.

Case Studies 

Case Study 1: In places like Pokuase in Ghana, The use the Nsaki river as their primary source of water. The water from the river isn’t potable, which also means this water body could be home to thousands of different diseases, but it’s all they’ve got, so they use it for everything, washing, drinking, bathing and cooking. Women and children are affected most, mainly because they fetch water the most, and they spend hours searching for sufficient quantities of water. This makes children either very late to school, absent or too weak to even concentrate in class.

Case study 2: in most cities in Ghana, like Tema where I live, there are a lot of times where water pipes are shut, to allow other places in the city to get water flowing into their homes although this effectively helps people get water flowing into their homes, it doesn’t eliminate the fact that there is still a water problem in Ghana. This also has similar effects in cities, children and adults alike, don’t get to go to places they need to be at on time or even show up at all, because when these pipes are shut, they aren’t scheduled. So they can happen whenever at any time.

Brainstorming and Ideation

• Start scheduling pipe shuts so people become more conscious of when they’ll be shut.
• Educate people about water conservation.
• Provide large barrels for people to store water for days.
• Create a system, based on the model of a fountain that filters water in real time and takes it back to be used over and over again.
• Have people go round and distribute water.

Ideal solution: From my point of view ‘creating a system, based on the model of a fountain that filters water in real time and takes it back to be used over and over again’, is my most ideal solution, because it not only focuses on the issues like my other solutions, but all the issues. It works on making the water clean, eliminates the need to keep fetching water as much and also tackles the water shortage issue. With this, water will keep circulating, once you’ve had water before, although, like a fountain, water needs to be added each go round significantly cut down water wastage. This also helps us work with the water we already have in Ghana.

Persona

Kofi Oppong is a 18 year old boy from Pokuase, Ghana. He goes to school at local secondary school, which is 2.7km away from his house. Kofi lives with just his little brother, his mum and dad. Each morning he wakes up very early to go to the Nsaki river, which is their primary source of water. The water from that river isn’t potable, which also means this water body could be home to thousands of diseases, but it’s all they’ve got. So every morning he walks about a kilometer to the river, along with his little brother Kwame, to fetch huge buckets of water. Kofi being 18, has become quite used to doing this because he has done it for a very long time and also he’s known as the village’s best athlete, however, he still is usually late to class and also quite tired and weak from all the load he has to carry on his head every morning. Kofi gets sick quite often, quite recently he and his little brother both contracted cholera, although they’re both fine now, there is no way to know that they both wont get it again, because they still drink the same water from the same source and nothing has changed at all. The water he and his brother bring back is the water they bath with, drink and also use to cook all their food, so sometimes, they have to make two trips and he usually goes the second time with either his mum, Ama or his dad, Kwasi. Doing this even gets Kofi even more tired, but he has to do it, because if he doesn’t the whole family is at a disadvantage. As an athlete, it seems as if Kofi doesn’t mind fetching water all the time, however it really taks a huge toll not only on his academics, but his health as well.