Bodies of Empathy: A Data Driven Approach to Design
What if we could wear data? What if we could feel it?
Data can be too complex to understand. Not only can figures be overwhelming to consume, but pie charts and bar graphs can be so boring. By mapping data into the physical form of garments, “Bodies of Empathy” attempts to “humanize” data by bringing it back to the physical world and making it relatable to the people from whom it has been collected. Levering on the power of embodied experiences to connect data to real bodies, the data-based garments are aimed at inspiring empathy in wearers to improve emotional connectedness.
Read more about the thesis.
You have been rejected!
The audience is invited to embody data through fashion and wearable technology! Five corsets on display are available to try on. Each corset represents the study permit rejection rate of a continent of the world.
The Data: Average Study Permit Rejection Rate by Continent of Birth (IRCC)
As an international student who has been moving from place to place for the last decade, I am no stranger to the process of applying for a visa. The study permit application process is always very stressful and frustrating, and rejection or hostility from the system is almost certain. I conducted an Initial excel heat map exercise color coding each country by study permit acceptance rate. It is here I decided that focusing on presenting rejection rates, rather than acceptance rates would be more effective.
Mapping the Data
There are five corsets. Each “corset” represents the average yearly study permit rejection rates by continent of birth provided by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada). The rejection rate is mapped to the size and the kinetic movement of the “corset”. The higher the rejection rate, the bigger the “corset” and the faster the “ heartbeat.” The lower the rejection rate, the smaller the “corset” and the slower the “ heartbeat.” The overall rejection rate is considered as the “normal heartbeat.”
Garment tags are used to display relevant information for each corset.
The Experience
Reviews
“I was surprised because I never thought about this about your project before, but wearing it on my body, it made me feel like I'm taking care of a living thing. And it does feel like a part of me, and I know we talked about that prior to this, but it feels even more salient now that I'm wearing it on my body.”
“I like that you kind of go through it on your own pace, and even of your own initiative or volition, putting it on your own. There is a transaction. I see it as a transaction, like I take this and put it on my body, and what that means is that I am consenting to taking care of this item. So, the action of putting it on my body means that I can take care of it.”