The Need

Isolation and social disconnection is a growing problem in today’s society. There is value in shared vulnerability but there is a lack of accessible opportunities for strangers to spontaneously connect with each other. Art and creative expression are the perfect media for connection but tend to be exclusive and seen as childish practices.

The Solution

We decided to bring free painting services to people by creating a safe and fun space for communities to connect with their inner children and each other. The experiences were informed by human-centered design and were optimized to initiate conversation, movement and participation in order to break barriers of social disconnect.

Our Challenge

To create an interactive installation that passers-by actually felt inclined to engage with.

Through qualitative observation in each session, we would alter the structure of our space and our approach to make sure the experience was as welcoming, and nonjudgmental as possible.

We would set up structures with hanging canvas in public spaces like Washington Square Park, and for our private clients such as the elderly facility India Home. People were welcome to paint whatever they wanted with the acrylic paints we provided. There was much conversation, laughter and free-spiritedness as a result of this shared experience.

We are building an accessible toolkit to share design thinking skills and concepts to empower the youth. Although a useful tool for change and creative problem-solving in any area of life, design thinking is not a framework that is taught in schools. It is taught at elite institutions and expensive courses, and is a highly Westernized resource.

In an attempt to democratize and decolonize design thinking, we want to provide our toolkits to schools and young students, especially in the developing East like our home countries, so that design thinking may be incorporated into mainstream education from young grades.