CONCHIOUS is a project which aims to raise the consciousness of the effect of redevelopment in coastal communities. Each year, hundreds of families are uprooted from their homes by means of eminent domain abuse: the abuse of power to seize private property for reasons other than public use.
CONCHIOUS is an assembly kit for affected communities to fill with their photos and stories. Hopefully, by installing the completed, shell-shaped box at a local beach access point, the world can gain a little insight into the effect redevelopment has on local culture, the environment and livelihoods.
For this project, I developed the product concept and packaging design. I began by researching a public I am a part of. Public, meaning, a group of people who share a common interest, quality, circumstance, mindset, or otherwise and actively participate in that community. I chose an area and culture which I am passionate about, the coast.
During my time growing up at the beach, I've seen bungalows turn into high-rises, a shoreline continuously ruined by sand replenishment and coastal communities replaced with a culture antithetical to their own.
The shape of the packaging design was inspired by a view of the sun, rising above the horizon. This metaphor speaks to a sentimental sight for many dwellers of the East Coast region of America. CONCHIOUS's box is made up of two parts, a removable lid, and a base where the pieces of the assembly kit are held.
