Spanish design student Ariadna Sala Nadal has developed a series of mental health tools for survivors of child sexual abuse, to help make their emotions more tangible and thus easier to communicate.
Called Balisa, the kit includes 21 different modules of a unique colour, weight and texture, developed in collaboration with psychologists who specialise in the subject and their patients.
Each of these pieces represents a different emotion or step in the survivor's healing process, which they have dealt with in their therapy session.
Nadal made an early prototype of the project during coronavirus lockdown using only plasticine and nail polish
"During therapy, the survivor will relate the emotion that is being worked on at each moment, such as self-esteem, with the piece that they believe best represents that feeling," Nadal told Dezeen. "This facilitates the easy understanding of abstract concepts and improves communication between the patient and the psychologist, since they can see a physical representation of what is being spoken about."
The Balisa toolkit encompasses 21 modules
Although the pieces currently only exist as prototypes, which were moulded from clay or 3D-printed, the final versions will incorporate a broad material palette from resin to aluminium, acrylic and acetate to create a different weight, temperature and tactility for each.
In this way, the pieces are designed to engage multiple senses from sight to touch and balance, in the hopes of...