Being passionate about soft things, I was mostly involved in the design and execution of the pouch which I believe was a valuable finishing touch to the Uke – it helped “open” and “close” the circular structure of the ritual. I do enjoy as well symbolism and tried to implement it in the design - the wave motifs in the corners (signifying the calm of starting the ritual and closing it after practice) and their cornered shape to match the perfectly thought out shape of the Uke. The boning structure of the pouch was measured and cut to perfectly fit the 5 segments of the Uke it is covering (the bottom, and the upper and bottom half of the sides) – it was also sawn between two layers of thin cotton to give it flexibility and a nice, satisfying feeling to the judoka when folding and unfolding it.

I have learned the difference between a ritual and a ceremony by diving into what constitutes a ritual and what values it brings to a person’s energy, and, more importantly, how those values can be used towards creating a good design. This knowledge is also useful when designing for what I am generally interested in: user interfaces (especially tangible ones) and experiences in entertainment where even though the general amusement is aimed at the masses, each individual perceives it in relation to their own values - see Brainport Connects. In addition, I learned practical skills such as working with wood, the industrial embroidery and sawing machines which made a good base for a project such as Black Textures.