Solving for homelessness: an audiovisual installation
An immersive audiovisual installation experience to inspire empathy for the homeless
Year
2018
Tools
Adobe Premiere
GoPro 5
Zoom voice recorder
Projector
Cardboard
Project Type
Multimedia audiovisual installation
My Role
Concept
Research
Prototyping
Installation design
Other Roles
Mentor: Steve Durie
Mentor: Andrew Blanton
Audiovisual technician: Mark Toy
Goals
The goal of this project was to inspire empathy for the homeless through a creative storytelling installation experience.
Deliverables
I maximized for empathy through design, with an immersive, interactive, audiovisual installation utlizing common materials associated with homelessness.
Outcome
I successfully achieved empathy from my users, but for me, it wasn't actionable enough in solving the problem.
I revisited my interviews and conducted further user research, which revealed pain points in reserving a shelter. As the initial point of contact for a person entering homelessness, I improved accessibility for the Government's Homelessness Website.
Observing the world around me sparked curiosity-led action
Employed in San Francisco, I observed individuals asking for money, who seemed almost invisible to people walking by. The stark juxtaposition of the two lives in those passing seconds made me curious about people's perceptions of the homeless, the causes of homelessness, and the effectiveness of current solutions.
I learned from different perspectives to get a holistic view of the problem
Government statistics informed the what, who, and why, and barriers out of homelessness. Quantitative surveys by the public provided insight as to why homelessness is not prioritized. YouTube videos by individuals experiencing homelessness introduced their perspective, while interviews I conducted provided a deeper, first-hand experience.
Statistics provided insight, while personal stories provided the most impact
It wasn't until my time with Linda and Thomas and hearing their stories, that the true "aha!" moment of empathy and connection happened.
Linda's Story
Imagine yourself as a little girl, with all of your trust in your parents and the adults around you to be safe, loved, and cared for. Now imagine your head being thrust in a bucket of water by your mother's best friend, while your arms flail violently and lungs gasp for air. When your mother comes home, she finds you laying on the floor, still and unmoving. This is the origin of Linda's brain disability.
This problem is important because half a million people—and rising—are homeless in America
The problem I tried to solve was...
How might I use art and design to humanize the homeless and inspire empathy?
I set the following goals to guide my work
I knew that after hearing Thomas and Linda's stories, their interviews were essential to evoke empathy from my audience.
Synthesize data
Synthesize conversations with Thomas and Linda into a cohesive short story
Make the invisible visible
Give Thomas and Linda a voice by spotlighting their stories as the focal point of the project
Creative storytelling
Captivate audience by pushing beyond the traditional interview format
Design an immersive experience
Create an installation to immerse audience into Thomas & Linda's lives
Then researched and learned from other artists
Evaluating how other artists executed their projects—with their intentional materials and presentation methods used—inspired some technically complex ideas.
How can I best convey my message?
Concept design idea
Writing my ideas on paper helped me to realize that tech was overshadowing the story & message
Initially, I wanted to create a tech-heavy, magical experience for my audience. Though, after visualizing my ideas on paper, I realized a tech-heavy project not only complicated execution within time constraints, but also distracted away from the heart of the project—giving a voice to the homeless.
Mindmaps helped to redirect focus on a more meaningful solution
With a mindmap, I redirected focus to Thomas and Linda's stories, and utilized materials associated with homelessness to create an immersive space.
How can I intentionally design the space?
How can I use materials to further immerse my audience?
Paper prototype
I faced some financial and time constraints, but found resources to complete the project
With limited funds, I tapped into my resources and acquired boxes from a friend’s work and Costco. With the help of an Audiovisual Technician, we assembled an immersive cardboard environment and installed hardware in two days.
My solution to inspire empathy from my audience was an immersive, interactive, audiovisual installation showcasing the lives of 2 individuals experiencing homelessness
What impact did this project have?
This was one of the most fulfilling projects I’ve worked on. The ability to spend time with Linda and Thomas, and experience first-hand some aspects of homelessness was truly eye-opening.
The cardboard-designed space and edited audio successfully achieved compassion, empathy, and understanding from my audience.
User feedback
What did I learn?
More time for feedback + iteration = better results
Since the video served as a distraction, I would set stricter deadlines for research, and schedule more time for feedback and iteration.
I wanted a more impactful solution
After the show, provoking thought around homeleness didn’t feel actionable enough. I revisited the recorded conversations I had with Linda and Thomas, which revealed the stressful, discouraging experience of securing a shelter, a basic need and key component in transitioning out of homelessness—which led me to improve the Government's Homelessness and Supportive Housing website and increase accessibility.