Okej?

We live in a society where violence is a daily everyday activity, even if you are a part of it or not. There are different kinds of violence, both verbal and physical. Abuse, murder, and rape are examples of what many would consider violence. But jargon, insults, and inequality can also be considered violence. This type of violence is often common and normalized in our society, such as in our schools.

Today has 75% of children in schools in Sweden have been abused for verbal or physical violence in their school environment.

This project explores how we can minimize the violence in our school and instead achieve a culture of consent. How can we create more open communication and teach children how to express their emotions and thoughts when something feels good or bad. Studies show that one way to minimize violence is to understand our feelings and emotions. Because when you use violence, you disconnect your empathy for the person you abuse.

Through workshops and tests, I have investigated how tactility can be used as an alternative communication tool and how emotion can be translated into physical and touchable.

The results from the workshops were scanned and modeled into turnable rolls. By testing them during a discussion, you could tell that it was easier to describe a feeling for another person if you could refer your emotions to something.

The results turned into Okej? A communication tool for schools to reduce violence and create more open and honest communication. To teach children early to understand their emotions, how emotions can be connected to different situations and make children understand the importance of integrity – school can achieve a culture with consent.

Okej? is built with a different direction that meets in a midpoint, like the symbolism of a group of people who need to meet with consent. Each person that participates in the discussion gets an emotional role. The middle roll with different colors can be used in education to lead the subject of the debate.

Tactility is a tool that can help you describe your thoughts and emotions when you have trouble telling them with words, and other people around you can easier understand what you feel by touching them themselves.

Published in Furniture & Object