Living and Growing Old with Birds

Project details

Student Hanyue Gao

Programme

Design Studio Design Studio 8

Year 1

Jinzhou (N41°05'35.07'', E121°07'16.96''), a small city in northeast China, is rich in bird resources. At the same time, Jinzhou’s population is aging. This project introduces birds into the daily life of the elderly to provide more diversified social and entertainment opportunities as well as expanded habitat for the birds.

This project is very personal; its heroine is my grandmother, who recently suffered a small accident that inspired it. The design process unfolds along with the story of her life. Through my grandmother’s experience, this project exposes the lack of resources for the elderly, and uses dialogue to promote the design.

Grandmother’s Dilemma

Grandmother was gradually abandoned by the city. The neglect of the needs of the elderly in community design made grandmother feel inconvenient and frustrated.

Grandmother's Adventure as a Child

In China, people believe that the crow represents death; it is a bird of bad luck. Grandmother firmly believed that she and the crow were good friends in her childhood.