The four day workshop with Shin Azumi was focused on ‘sleep’, as a very basic human activity and instinct. The aim of the workshop was to develop design proposals which explored the contemporary social meaning of sleep. Who, where, how, and why?

“-If you place 2-3 chairs together side by side, you are able to fall asleep on them.
- I personally can fall into a deep sleep on an air plane or train, if I have an eye mask, ear plugs and two air cushions.
- My baby falls asleep very quickly while he is moving in a baby buggy.
- In Japan there is a government campaign named ‘Can you sleep?’, introduced to help prevent stressed workers from committing suicide.
- I always wonder if homeless people are able to obtain a good level sleep or not.”

Shin Azumi

My Design Question was What if Technology got Tired?

In the 24/7 world, sleep is struggling to find a place in many people’s lives. The pressures of work and family commitments, along with the reach of technology into bedrooms, are making it ever more difficult to just turn off and sleep.

So what if technology got tired, what if out phone, TV or computer could sense when we were tired and prompted you to flick that switch? The technology needed to create this, is already out there and being used, Electrocardiographic monitoring, Skin Conductance testing, thermometers and cameras. So why not use technology to make a change to our lifestyles? Allowing us to recapture the all important element of sleep.

Other outcomes from the workshop.