P r o t e c t i o n  -Sense of Security


Katherine and I grouped together and chose the field of protection for our final design concept. 


Originally we thought to incorporate the energy of crystals into a form of vest/harness (wearable) as a conceptual way of 'protecting' the wearer while walking. Having realised that this is a bit too simple, we thought of exploring how lights could help protect someone when walking. By completing the mind map class exercise last Tuesday with George, we were able to sort out where exactly we could go with this initial idea.


We decided that night walking will be our context for our design, as it is problematic in terms of low-lit streets, local parks etc.We want to encourage people to go for a walk even though it is night time, and to give people a sense of security and energy balance while doing so.

Our Mind Map Transformed into Notes

In terms of which crystals/gemstones to use, I think moonstone and smoky quartz could really work. Below is some information I found out about their energies and think work exactly with our concept of protection (for night walking).

Spiritual and Healing Properties of Moonstone:

Moonstone carries lunar energy and helps to balance emotional upsets. Moonstone has a gentle energy that helps to ease stresses and feelings of anxiousness. It can be used to enhance intuition. 

(Katherine also had a really good idea about the crystals/gemstone reflecting light themselves too, and moonstone is supposed to be reflective properties, similar to how the moon reflects light from the sun.)

Smoky Quartz

Metaphysical and Healing Properties Lore

Keywords: Grounding, Remove Negativity

Smoky quartz is an excellent stone for removing negativity and negative energy of any kind and transforming them to positive energy. It is also a very protective and grounding stone. It brings physical, protection, psychic protection and protection from negative energy. It enhances survival instincts, and can help one reach personal and business goals, as well as assisting in making wishes come true. Smoky quartz is beneficial for groups, and engenders cooperation. It also helps with creativity, prioritizing needs and wants, and wisdom. In addition, smoky quartz is a stone that brings abundance, prosperity, and good luck.

Along with these crystals and gemstones, as Katherine mentioned in her blog post we should consider the textiles that we use in our vest design, which I think is a very good idea, she also had the idea to incorporate protective text etc. So we have found our context and aim and now have to consider our textiles, technology in terms of lights being controlled by the wearer's heartbeat (need to speak to bert about this part!!)

Also as an extra note, Katherine had a really good idea about the walk being a labyrinth of self discovery, but with not wanting to get too similar to the enchantment group, we decided that we wouldn't pursue that, but would definitely explore the idea of making each walkers' experience personal -this is where I believe the idea of lights controlled by the wearer's heart beat and the crystals will come into play. SO our design is planned to not only be about personal security and energy, it will be about allowing to experience walking on a personal level. (At night, low-lit times).