Project 3 : Intro

For our next project we were given the task of designing a sleeping space for two strangers.

So what is a stranger? The Oxford dictionary defines a stranger as “A person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar.” I decided to twist this idea a little bit.

I’ve chosen to have two exes as my “strangers.” Whilst they technically do know each other I’m interested in the idea that over time someone can once again become a stranger. Having previously been in a relationship these people would have know each other very well but now that person might be as strange and unfamiliar to them now as anyone they pass on the street.

I look at this as being a chance for them to say whatever it may be they didn’t previously get the chance to. From this I’ve decided to call this project “The Unsaid.”

They would have the opportunity to come into the space for a couple of days – long enough that they cant just ignore each other the whole time. Once in the space it would be possible for them to avoid each other as they can move around all the platforms in several ways, however there is only one sleeping space.

The sleeping space is made to be large enough that they could sleep at different ends and not have to touch but the soft fabric would gradually push them together as they move throughout the night. This space really throws them together and makes a confrontation inevitable. To ensure that they both have to use the bed and not sleep in one of the other areas i’ll try to make the furniture uncomfortable for any length of time. Alongside this the materials I will use will be hard, cold and uninviting making the bed the only sleeping option.

I imagine this interaction between two exes to be quite dramatic and almost like a performance so I would like to create the opportunity for the public to be able to see into this space and for the space itself to really be set out as if it is a stage.