Tiernan Dowd
Project
This project explores design as a form of imaginative expression, using objects, instruments, and artefacts that produce sound to question how we think, act, and interact. By experimenting with materiality, gesture, and context, we examined how sound and form shape collective and individual experiences. The work culminated in speculative rituals and performances, where imagined worlds were embodied through instruments and interfaces that reflect their values and narratives.
Every topic in the course, from the ISS to the generational ship, grew increasingly intricate and speculative. Our group was assigned the generational ship, a fully theoretical concept that allowed for imaginative storytelling. Often depicted in science fiction, this interstellar vessel spans hundreds to thousands of years, carrying multiple generations on a mission shaped by the need to avoid humanity’s past mistakes. Ship sustains itself through a carefully managed ecosystem, where strict rules prevent waste and greed from threatening survival.
Drawing parallels with the realities of migration in our own communities, through studies, work, and family. Our focus on food, as it highlights a power to preserve cultural ties across generations and spaces, even in resource-limited environments.
Migration, whether across borders or stars, involves adapting to new surroundings while negotiating identity and belonging within unfamiliar contexts.
Prior to finishing, we had to conduct one final round of setup runs. We were given five minutes to complete a ritual during which we checked the dialogue, programming, and sound effects. Here was our chance to polish our performance. Furthermore, we had ample time to create the additional space decoration items—ramen curtains and a headband—that give the area a more polished appearance.
The final performance was set in The Yard theatre, hackney wick. A venue that embodied urban renewal and community growth.
The Performance:
The show went through each our our course groups projects.
Our work explored the simple movements and interactions between a user and a vendor, reimagined in a future where food is reduced to protein mush and mineral water. The Space Ramen Kit was designed as a performance system that turns cooking into a sensory experience of sound and light.
At its core is a push-button sound system: the countertop post provides a rhythmic base, while ingredient jars trigger alternating tones, like the keys of a piano or the beat of drums, as the vendor suggests ingredients. A noodle press produces a scratch-like pitch when pressed, followed by a sliding tone as it elongates, imitating the sound of ramen being stretched.
Because the ship’s environment is dark and energy must be conserved, the vendor works with a small light, cleaning and illuminating the surface as they perform. This dance of light and sound creates the impression of cooking. A protein press, which shapes mushroom and egg-like forms, casts shadows of a knife at work across the counter, echoing the gestures of traditional preparation.
The performance asks: in a future where meals are nutritionally efficient but stripped of ritual, why would people still gather at a food stall? Beyond sustenance, the act of preparing and serving food remains deeply tied to culture, identity, and the desire for shared experiences.
The show went through each our our course groups projects.
Our work explored the simple movements and interactions between a user and a vendor, reimagined in a future where food is reduced to protein mush and mineral water. The Space Ramen Kit was designed as a performance system that turns cooking into a sensory experience of sound and light.
At its core is a push-button sound system: the countertop post provides a rhythmic base, while ingredient jars trigger alternating tones, like the keys of a piano or the beat of drums, as the vendor suggests ingredients. A noodle press produces a scratch-like pitch when pressed, followed by a sliding tone as it elongates, imitating the sound of ramen being stretched.
Because the ship’s environment is dark and energy must be conserved, the vendor works with a small light, cleaning and illuminating the surface as they perform. This dance of light and sound creates the impression of cooking. A protein press, which shapes mushroom and egg-like forms, casts shadows of a knife at work across the counter, echoing the gestures of traditional preparation.
The performance asks: in a future where meals are nutritionally efficient but stripped of ritual, why would people still gather at a food stall? Beyond sustenance, the act of preparing and serving food remains deeply tied to culture, identity, and the desire for shared experiences.
Product Design
From concept to market, engineering innovation and manufacturability.
Hands on
Hands on experience, bringing physical prototypes to final models to market with ease.