Aisling Reitano
What if there was a space where you could easily access and reconnect with the traditions and practices from your culture? Memento is a digital platform designed to do exactly that. It allows users to share, discover, and listen to recordings of cultural traditions from around the world, as well as contribute stories and practices from their own communities.
The goal of this project was to create a space where cultural traditions could be easily accessed, shared, and preserved. In a time where endless streams of content constantly flood our timelines, it felt important to design a platform that could act as an archive for traditions and practices that risk being overlooked or forgotten. A key aim of the project was also to create a platform for those who may feel disconnected from their cultural roots, or may not have friends or family that can pass down these traditions to them. By making this knowledge more available, the project hopes to encourage reconnection with identity, heritage, and community. Another important objective was to inspire people to document and preserve their own cultures, whilst amplifying the voices of those who treasure and cherish this knowledge forward whether that is experts or older generations.
A mobile app letting users upload and listen to recordings of traditions across different cultures giving users the opportunity to listen to this knowledge at any time and in any place. The app is promoted through posters, social media and merchandise. The platform is also supported by promotional phone booths to make this experience even more accessible and reach a wider public.
Severance is an American science fiction TV series created by Dan Erickson and released in 2022. The show tackles the idea of separating personal life from work life through a procedure called ‘severance’ which inserts a chip inside the individual’s brain to split human consciousness into two separate identities. The show then explores the moral and ethical dilemmas of workers who have undergone the procedure and now inhabit a corporate environment without recollection of their lives outside of it and the consequences of what that entails. This thesis aims to analyse the office space design, as well as the use of visual language and the company’s practices to demonstrate how design is used as a tool for control. By drawing from key thinkers such as Foucault, Marx, Baudrillard and Debord, I set out to explore how spaces that appear pleasant and centred around the workers actually disguise surveillance, control and manipulation. I also aim to draw clear connections with real corporations, as well as systems of power, such as totalitarian regimes and organised religions, that employ similar tactics to manipulate people into obedience and subjugation.
Ciao! I'm Aisling, an Italian-Irish designer based in Dublin. I am passionate about using design as a way to highlight social issues and explore how it can create meaningful solutions. My process is rooted in a user-centred approach, focusing on creating thoughtful and accessible experiences that respond to people’s needs. My interests span branding, editorial and motion design, with a particular passion for how visual storytelling can shape engagement and understanding. I am excited to showcase my work and apply the knowledge and skills I have developed throughout the last four year to my future practice!
