alone together

A two week design stint in January 2025.

Every year, graduating students from the MS Design program are given two weeks to come up with their “Personal Statement,” an artifact or experience that embodies who they are as a designer.

I was inspired by a conversation I had with my sibling around New Year’s Eve. We were sitting on their porch swing talking about how fleeting moments on swings are while listening to Pedro Pascal’s interlude on Omar Apollo’s album "God Said No." Pascal talked about how a park bench brought him to his knees and how he asked it to “come alive and save [him].” And that stuck with me: so many people have vivid memories on a bench or swing, an inherently liminal space. These moments can be a second to catch one’s breath, reorient, adjust, or simply observe. What would it mean for me to create a swing that acted as a bench? A space where you can be alone or sit with someone, a loved one, or a stranger?

The scale of this project intimidated me, so I spent a lot of time agonizing and validating different structural aspects of the swing frame. I spent the most time making the swing seat. The intention was for one side of the swing to be for someone to sit alone: “for those who want a moment alone.” And the other side for two people to sit together: “for those who want a moment alone, together.” Thus, I needed to suggest the seating arraignment subtly, through the shape and added curvature on top of the seat.

Read more about my project here!