This is an experiment of designs that contribute toward disaster preparedness.
Life on earth is full of change. Whether big or small, we live with disasters and climate change. For us to mitigate the risk of such events, we must incorporate disaster preparedness into our daily life.
Disaster preparedness may be useless, or even cumbersome in our day-to-day business. While nature is consistently sending us messages to be ready for disasters, our convenient urban lifestyle leaves no room for thinking about ‘just in case’.
With trendy clothes, computers, and smartphones, we swiftly move around on concrete-surfaced roads. While we seem to know so much stuff, are we really equipped to cope with disasters? Do we have extra energy to use in case of emergency? Will wisdom and design really help us, when we don’t have knowledge or physical strength?
We only come to appreciate how amazing it is to live a normal life and end days without any major problems, when we are struck by disaster. We need to be aware of the potential dangers before a disaster actually hits us. In cities, many people may have seen sandbags but have never used them. People usually feel that sandbags have nothing to do with them. However, sandbags are a basic item to prepare for water-related disasters and landslides. They have such a long history that they were even excavated from the remains of Osaka castle’s outermost moat, constructed in 1600s.
We have focused on the potential and various possible uses of sandbags in our daily lives, as well as how to make them more approachable and user-friendly. We hope to provide an opportunity for you to think about disaster preparedness in form of an exhibition.