DESIGN INTENT
My work is driven by the concept of hidden value, where only upon interaction with an object do we begin to understand its functionality. I am particularly interested in objects that are dynamic and evolve through their conditions of use. They bloom and reveal meaning based upon the contexts they are placed within, providing an unique level of richness to our interactions with them.
I am also fascinated by the role our senses can play in developing relationships between objects and their users. Through interactive sensory feedback, an object can begin to form a dynamic dialogue about its use. It can provide its users with tactile cues, and it may have a whole series of emotions embedded within it, altering the way users interact with it on a daily basis.
BIO
Tara Mullaney is a Master of Design in Designed Objects graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She comes from a background in anthropology and biology, and considers herself both a scientist and a designer. Her previous work has involved studying the social, cultural, and biological aspects of human behavior, and she is now applying her insights from these other fields into her designs. She will finish her degree in December of 2009, and looks forward to continuing to investigate ways to facilitate deep emotional connections between objects and their users.
My work is driven by the concept of hidden value, where only upon interaction with an object do we begin to understand its functionality. I am particularly interested in objects that are dynamic and evolve through their conditions of use. They bloom and reveal meaning based upon the contexts they are placed within, providing an unique level of richness to our interactions with them.
I am also fascinated by the role our senses can play in developing relationships between objects and their users. Through interactive sensory feedback, an object can begin to form a dynamic dialogue about its use. It can provide its users with tactile cues, and it may have a whole series of emotions embedded within it, altering the way users interact with it on a daily basis.
BIO
Tara Mullaney is a Master of Design in Designed Objects graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She comes from a background in anthropology and biology, and considers herself both a scientist and a designer. Her previous work has involved studying the social, cultural, and biological aspects of human behavior, and she is now applying her insights from these other fields into her designs. She will finish her degree in December of 2009, and looks forward to continuing to investigate ways to facilitate deep emotional connections between objects and their users.
