ІНТЕРАКТИВНІСТЬ ТА ДИНАМІЧНІСТЬ СУЧАСНИХ ОБ'ЄКТІВ-ТРАНСФОРМЕРІВ В КОНТЕКСТІ ХУДОЖНЬО-ОБРАЗНОГО ПІДХОДУ ДО ФОРМОТВОРЕННЯ

Purpose: the objective of this study is to offer the classification of design objects with variable geometry by the criteria which specify qualitative characteristics of dynamics and interactivity of their transformation within the framework of artistic approach to design. Methodology. In this study both general and special research methods are used, the most relevant being the method of analysis of a sample of design objects with variable geometry by creating a descriptive matrix based on specified criteria. Results. Two criteria were identified, relevant to this study, namely the “nature of the transformation dynamics” and “the degree of audience involvement in the transformation process”. The nature of the transformation dynamics criterion takes into account the factors and conditions necessary to ensure the functioning of the transformation process of the object. This factors and conditions determine the specificity of the object-environment interaction and its corresponding expected or, conversely, spontaneous transfiguration. Design objects according to this criterion are divided into two types. The degree of audience involvement in the transformation process criterion takes into account the existence and options of the object-audience interaction, and determines the nature of its impact on the process of transformation of the object (or lack thereof). In this case, eight types of objects were determined. Scientific novelty. The analysis of transformational objects of conceptual design and art (constructed within the artistic approach to design) in terms of qualitative evaluation of their interactivity, dynamism, and the level of audience involvement (direct or indirect) in the process of their transformation was performed; criteria for qualitative evaluation of these characteristics were derived and results were summed up in the accordant typology. Practical significance. The obtained results are key to understanding the role and specifics of objects with variable geometry in the context of modern design and allow the further identification of the most relevant trends in design of such objects with the acknowledgement of the modern visual culture.

‘Something was going from me – the capacity, as it were, to be myself’: ‘transformational objects’ and the Gothic fiction of Richard Marsh

This chapter explores the treatment of objects, things, in Marsh’s major Gothic works: The Beetle, The Goddess and The Joss. The increasing popularity in the late nineteenth century of collecting and consuming objects offers a context in which boundaries between people and things become uncertain, with objects seemingly exercising a disturbing agency. Marsh’s texts present mutually transforming encounters between objects and characters that question the stability of identity. The chapter suggests that whilst transgressing boundaries between self and not-self is often explored in critical analysis through mesmerism, a more appropriate conceptual framework for Marsh is provided by object relations psychoanalysis, and specifically Christopher Bollas’s notion of ‘transformational objects’. Developing this notion in relation to Bill Brown’s ‘thing theory’, the chapter identifies Marsh’s objects as ‘transformational things’, encounters with which often lead to terrifying breakdowns of selfhood, conveying a pervasive sense of existential horror and exposing the precariousness of late-nineteenth-century identity.

Designing for Dementia: Iterative Grief and Transitional Objects

Designers increasingly are exploring how to support individuals transitioning through loss and grief and coming to terms with a loved one's death. For people living with dementia and their families, the loss and grief they experience is iterative and ongoing. This paper discusses design research to make sensory textile objects for people with advanced dementia, intended to support positive well-being, shared experiences, and “in the moment” pleasure. It draws on theories relating to transitional and transformational objects to show how these textiles support those living with dementia as they transition into greater dependency and move toward the end of life. It shows how, after their death, the objects become memorials and symbolic representations, further supporting family members through their experience of loss.