2021
Murder Kit - educational toy for children / critical design
Educational
Critical Design / 3D Printing / Workshop
At Konstfack we had a course in critical design thinking, challenging us to question the norms of the society and how to create a debate using design.
I chose the subject of toy guns, questioning the fact that we give our children replicas of real guns to play with and then we stand like question marks when children and teens under 18 kills and get killed by gun violence.
I wanted to create a product that was as realistic as possibly so that it would provoke as much as possible, making people questioning if this really was meant to be a real product or not.
The proposal was presented as a educational tool for children, teaching them how to take care of the aftermath of the usage of guns. The toy kit borrowed the function and aesthetics from traditional toys with velcro attachment of the limbs which gave away a crunchy sound when the children sawed and cut through the corpse.
I hosted a small workshop where we very quickly explored different dimensions and shapes. Moving into prototyping early in the process is something I both enjoy and highly value for the rest of the process. For this example, the concept was born through the early and rough prototyping.
In the earlier stage of the project, the prototype was made out of wood. I later changed the material to PLA and a 3D printed manufacturing method, saving time while producing the prototypes.
I held interviews and workshops with parents to young children. Capturing their worries regarding guns and children and the emotions surrounding a concept like mine.
The project was never meant to be a real product being put on the shelfs and sold to children. However, during our exhibition, the the ractions from the visitors were quite astounding. People ot angry at me, questioning my intentions and telling me that this is not a suitable toy for young children.
But guns?
Is that appropriate to give to our kids?
Why only teaching them how to murder, but not to how to take care of the disposal of the body and the consequences of guns?
