SPACE FOR GRIEF
CIID IDP 2024/25
Final Project
︎︎︎ Research
︎︎︎ Concept
︎︎︎ Visual Design
︎︎︎ Coding
︎︎︎ Physical Prototyping
︎︎︎ Room Installation
︎︎︎ Photography
︎︎︎ Video
Final Project
︎︎︎ Research
︎︎︎ Concept
︎︎︎ Visual Design
︎︎︎ Coding
︎︎︎ Physical Prototyping
︎︎︎ Room Installation
︎︎︎ Photography
︎︎︎ Video
Space for Grief is an immersive installation designed to support community connection through the expression of grief and compassion.
Developed during my nine-week final thesis at CIID, the project began with an in-depth research phase on the topic of grief, including over 30 interviews. It was followed by an iterative design process and resulted in an installation prototype, presented in a final exhibition open to the public.
Visitors of Space for Grief are invited to hold and squeeze a soft crochet ball as a way of releasing emotion and compassion. Each squeeze becomes a glowing pulse that spreads like fungal life – branching into threads of light that seek out and connect with emotional traces left by others. When threads meet, they merge into a living network of shared experience, with each person’s energy forming a pulsing node within the collective. The installation transforms individual grief into a shared, embodied language – allowing the body to express what words often cannot.
Developed during my nine-week final thesis at CIID, the project began with an in-depth research phase on the topic of grief, including over 30 interviews. It was followed by an iterative design process and resulted in an installation prototype, presented in a final exhibition open to the public.
Visitors of Space for Grief are invited to hold and squeeze a soft crochet ball as a way of releasing emotion and compassion. Each squeeze becomes a glowing pulse that spreads like fungal life – branching into threads of light that seek out and connect with emotional traces left by others. When threads meet, they merge into a living network of shared experience, with each person’s energy forming a pulsing node within the collective. The installation transforms individual grief into a shared, embodied language – allowing the body to express what words often cannot.
Releasing emotion through the body:
Space for Grief explores how technology can
enable new forms of emotional expression
and communication.
Through the research interviews, one main theme kept coming up: it is very difficult to put emotions and grief into words—for both the people grieving and those trying to support them. Many interviewees shared that friends wanted to help but did not know what to say, and those who were grieving could not find the words to express how they felt. As a result, both sides often stayed silent—and felt alone.
This led me to explore the question: How might we help people embrace death as a part of life’s transformation—by reimagining rituals that honor both endings and new beginnings?
The installation invites people who are grieving to express their emotions physically in a nonverbal way. It creates a safe space that gently communicates: You are not alone. This space—and this community—are here for you. At the same time, it offers loved ones a way to show care and presence without needing to find the right words. Through light, movement, and shared experience, the installation helps normalize grief as a deeply human and collective journey.
This led me to explore the question: How might we help people embrace death as a part of life’s transformation—by reimagining rituals that honor both endings and new beginnings?
The installation invites people who are grieving to express their emotions physically in a nonverbal way. It creates a safe space that gently communicates: You are not alone. This space—and this community—are here for you. At the same time, it offers loved ones a way to show care and presence without needing to find the right words. Through light, movement, and shared experience, the installation helps normalize grief as a deeply human and collective journey.
