“Yoke” (2022)
The concept is a series of 3D printed pieces that fasten cardboard into sensory play systems. It is a toy that allows kids to build and use their imaginations to create educational play. There are currently some toy building systems out there such as Montessori schools, Cas Holman, and Anji play. All of these encourage kids to use their imaginations and create their own play experiences, but I wanted to take this concept to the next level by utilizing recycled materials. The toy is versatile and accessible to families, regardless of space or income. While prototyping this project, the biggest goal I had was to create the most versatility through the simplest means. I could have gone a thousand different directions with this project, and I had about that many in my initial sketches. Trying to see how I could fit all of these ideas, or at least most of the good ones, into very simple and few pieces. The turning point for me in this specific challenge was drawing the creations kids could create with cardboard and then thinking about what type of pieces would be needed to make these a reality. In the end, I created 3 main pieces. I am happy with the way it turned out, and would be excited to see how children actually interact with it. I ended up painting the pieces and assembling them into a doll house for the senior show.
