Ruby Red South Moffat
After completing the undergrad in Interior Design at GSA, I chose to join the Masters programme in order to explore my potential as a designer and test the limits of the subject itself. As a designer I have a particular interest in exploring themes such as feminism, gender, patriarchy, science fiction and transhumanism. With a specific fascination with combining the female body with architectural and interior structures and mechanisms. Using Interior Design as a creative medium, I strive to create speculative alternative feminine narratives which raise questions about society and challenge the status quo. Furthermore I have adapted an overall feminine approach to design which celebrates fluidity, openness and informality as a rejection of the masculine nature of design which favours practicality, rationality and technicality.
I am a multidisciplinary designer and incorporate illustration, animation, collage and 3d modelling into my practice. I also seek inspiration from varied sources such as academic texts, literature, films and artwork.
Life Recycling: An Alternative Feminist Narrative of Birth and Death
Life Recycling: An alternative feminist narrative of Birth and Death revolves around creating a feminist spatial design, which combines the experiences of Birth and Death. The fundamental aims of the project are to restore the role of femininity in the events of Birth and Death, to encapsulate feminist ideals within an interior space and to adapt an overall feminine approach to design. In doing so adding to the ever-growing discourse surrounding feminism in regard to Interior Design and challenging the limits and parameters of the subject. As well as this the objective is to create a non-religious solution that provides acceptance and comfort when confronted with the subject of our own mortality.
Researching feminist discourse was integral to my project as well as the exploration of films, literature, design and art. Key findings from my research were the many correlations between Birth and Death, the historical relationship between women and nature within the interior and the connection between femininity, sentiment and ritual. I also adapted a feminine approach to the design process which incorporated fluid research methods such as imaginative drawing, collages, experimentation and 3D modelling. From such studies I was able to unearth an in-depth understanding of my project which fuelled core developments of the project.
The result of my research manifested in three identical structures which act as temporary birth/burial Life Recycling centres, the skin of the buildings are designed to decompose after five years allowing nature to reclaim the site. Core mechanisms within the design are underground Metamorphic Pods which use the energy produced by deceased bodies to grow artificial wombs where babies are grown, and Decomposing Ornamental Graves which serve as a form of remembrance for the deceased and for parent(s)[1] of born/unborn babies. The project acts as feminist interpretation of spatial practice which challenges the rules, conventions and male canon of design and academia.
[1] Parent(s) referring to the variable combinations of guardians due to the use of Artificial Wombs.
