FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chloe Coelho's Uncomfortable Immersion

Chloe Coelho's Uncomfortable Immersion project delves into the unexplored territory of grief in adolescents, challenging societal misconceptions and fostering personal autonomy in mourning. Inspired by her own experience, Coelho's innovative toolkit provides a practical guide for adolescents dealing with loss, incorporating tangible reminders of the deceased and promoting concepts of death literacy and ritualism in mourning.

Utilizing Human-Centred Design, Coelho's grief book guides adolescents to construct ritual objects, while the companion artefact, 'Without Expectations', includes a pendant made from the signature of a loved one and a unique grief scarf. The scarf, infused with thermochromic ink, reveals a printed letter from the lost loved one through a ritualistic gesture of touch. These creations aim to help adolescents process and comprehend grief at their own pace, maintaining important metaphysical relationships with the deceased.

The project, completed in November 2018 as part of the Honours Project in Bachelor of Industrial Design at RMIT University, has garnered attention for its empathic approach to grief care and has been awarded the Iron A' Design Award in 2020. Coelho's work continues to push boundaries in design, addressing complex societal issues with empathy and innovation.

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