Why is it impossible at the first place?
Moving into aging society, Thai urban family where 3 generations live together faces the wide generation gap relevant to daily basis which differs in each age and their attitude towards each other. This project is focused on the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren which has been neglect since they became grownups. The major obstacle is that they’re no longer live in the same world. Lacking of familiar topic, their interaction is limited into small talk and distant dialogue.
So, what would be their connection?
Love and caring might sound cliche but it is the thing that bound them and also the greatest encouragement for their interaction. The problem is that it was expressed into ‘complaint’ and was misled by emotion at that moment. Both ages need understanding. Even though they share the same feelings, without being empathise, they couldn’t maintain the quality of their relationship. My design acts like a bridge helping them cross the ‘gap’ of perspective, a medium that connects their heart and mind by the following criteria :
____________________________________________________________________
The proposed possibilities in this mission
1. Know the Gap
To acknowledge grandchildren that there are gaps which was widen by themselves. Pop-up birthday wish, the interact video post, collecting the wishes from elders and insight reasons behind their wishes to younger generation, will be appeared on their facebook on their birthday. After listened, grandchildren are encouraged to make a wish for their grandparents and printed into ‘challenge card’
2. Get a Chance
The challenge card performs as a chance to get closer to grandparents by bringing it to yours asking them to ‘grant’ the wish/ do the challenge. This card will help you start the conversation easier and the message is from your truly doubts/needs towards them leading to better understanding on each other.
3. Create a Bond
Not only just a passage to conversation topic, the card is also a discount for renting the ‘mission possible’ game and play with grandparents or family. This kit contains four parts, challenge topics, action cards, challenge notes and a time capsule.
To start playing, choose or randomise one of the topics in the deck and think of the challenge relevant to the chosen story to another person. Gathering from the interview and discussion with two generations, the topics were categorised into 3 kinds of situation : Conflicts, Hidden feelings and Activities. The action cards lead to the different interaction between players. The conflict comes to understanding and dialogue becomes heart-to-heart talk. They could bring up the laugh or even tears of joy. The game ends when the ‘challenge’ is passed to the loser.
4. Enhance the Interaction
Challenge note is a trigger that reminds them of their collaboration and enhances the communication in long term. For the next meeting, they could build on further interaction from those requests. Collecting the finished challenges, packed it up in time capsule box and send to this project. When the time has passed, it will return to them as the reminiscence of their time together.
Understanding the system scenario :