In any given night in the United States, an estimated 633,782 people will experience homelessness (US Department of Housing & Urban Development, 2012). The issue of homelessness is becoming so prevalent that many of the homeless who seek shelters are turned away due to over capacity (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009, U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2011). A person experiencing homelessness equates the experience with the loss of his or her place in the world, which affects the individual's sense of self and belonging (Vandermark, 2007). In addition, those shelters that exist rarely provide an environment that promotes a sense of self and belonging. These aspects are important in helping homeless individuals get back on their feet, and become contributing citizens again (Vandermark, 2007). Currently there is a need for the design industry to have a greater presence in addressing socially beneficial design. There is a great potential for the design industry to contribute to environmental solutions for homelessness, and reach out to the 90% of the population that design has neglected to serve (Design for the Other 90%, 2011). For example, new designs for shelter facilities may offer further comfort than current building styles do. According to MacLeod & Shivers, "severe shortage of shelter for the poor and indigent is forcing the profession to confront its obligations to a public beyond that of clients who can pay for their services" (1991, p. 40). While interior designers often undertake pro bono work, they may not fully understand homelessness nor consider the situation applicable to their skills. This master's thesis project proposed a narrative-style traveling exhibition with the goal of heightening interior designers' awareness of homeless peoples' plights. Designed using a narrative approach, the goal of the exhibition was to meet three criteria: inform visitors with accurate information, change their negative perceptions of this issue, and call them to take action. This thesis project was executed in three phases - interviews using narrative inquiry, design of the exhibition, and lastly a post-evaluation of the developed exhibition by the study's constituent groups of homeless persons, interior designers, museum curators, and individuals that work with the homeless. During the first phase, interviews with one individual from each group took place. These interviews framed the content of the narrative-style traveling exhibition, and gathered the various perspectives and stories of homelessness. In the second phase, the development of the exhibition occurred using information gathered from phase one interviews as well as the study's research and programming. The design of the exhibition conveyed the realities, lived experiences of homeless people, and provided examples of design solutions for homelessness. Lastly, in phase three the same individuals from phase one were shown an animated walk-through of the exhibition, developed using a digital model of the space. The post-interviews conducted revealed information regarding the success and failures of the exhibition in providing accurate information, changing visitors' negative perceptions and prompting visitors to take action. At the completion of the post-interviews, the participants found that the exhibition successfully conveyed the stories of homelessness, and presented various realities of homelessness. Although it is inconclusive to determine whether the exhibition changed negative perceptions and called visitors to action, participants found the exhibition to be valuable. They felt that it brought awareness to the issue of homelessness, which can lead to designers to learn more or seek opportunities to get involved with the issue. The study's overall objective was to begin an evolution in the mindset of interior design students and interior design professionals that their actions can make a difference and that they can become advocates of this cause by using their design skills. This thesis design project offers a design for a narrative-style traveling exhibition that may prompt viewers to consider the importance of this issue and by extension, the potential designers can offer for change. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Interior Design in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. / Summer Semester, 2013. / July 1, 2013. / Exhibition, Homelessness, Homeless Shelters, Humanitarian
Design / Includes bibliographical references. / Jill Pable, Professor Directing Thesis; Marlo Ransdell, Committee Member; Jim Dawkins, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_183646 |
| Contributors | Antiquino, Jhoana Mae Ranoco (authoraut), Pable, Jill (professor directing thesis), Ransdell, Marlo (committee member), Dawkins, Jim (committee member), Department of Interior Design (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
Page generated in 0.0025 seconds