Hypervigilance

Hypervigilance showcases the physical and mental reaction of a foot air pump after being attacked.

It is a design practice of typology. This project aims to help designers build up their story-telling skills by identify physical characteristics based on types or categories.

the starting point

To choose a random object, we designers gathered together and brainstormed daily objects by functional classification.

Then it was time for the draw ceremony. I picked up the air foot pump out of a hat.

the design process

The project is divided into the following two parts:

1 deconstruction: choose a daily object at random and study its features.

2 reinterpretation: define a new context and reconstruct those features into a scenario.

1 deconstruction

AIR FOOT PUMP

A pump is a device that moves fluids(liquids or gases) by mechanical action. Pumps consume energy to perform mechanical work by moving the fluid.

It has three components: an air vent, a corrugated hose and an air bag.

2 reinterpretation

What is a pump like after its being attacked?

Personally interested in security and resilience (of the general public in the post 9/11 era), I chose those topics as the context for my later research.

The research began with behavior analysis and inner state exploration from startled animals and humans after being attacked.

(a) Animals like serpents tend to keep their spine straight while they sense potential dangerous signals.

(b) Another phenomenon I found out is that once the animal (cat, rabbit, or even balloon fish) is startled or feel scared, its body tends to puff up. Fur puffing is always a threat response.

the making process

I added a curved wire inside the hose and used nylon cable ties as sticks to indicate its vigilant situation. I also replaced its original yellow fabric(which looks way too positive) with a blue one. The burnt surface shows it has been through a traumatic experience.

Always watch your back

At the end of the spine, a light and a reflector mirror are added to it. It indicates the air pump is surveiling what's going on around itself to make sure its security zone.

It can serve as an anthropomorphism example.