Jonathon de Lacy

Industrial Design

Hi, I’m Jonathon.

I have known from an early age that I would end up creating. I love learning and am constantly refining my skills in my hobbies, including woodworking & furniture design, 3D printing, drawing, hiking & camping, and the list goes on.

I believe design can make the world a better place for everyone. Products that are focused on human impact have the potential to create a kinder and more dignified existence for all. I am passionate about exploring our relationship with products and how they connect us to our past and future. For my Capstone I chose to focus on those at the end of their journey.

For my final year project, I was inspired to create something that had the potential to help people suffering from dementia by providing another tool to help care for them. Over the past couple of years my family as many have, experienced this disease first-hand. ‘Dusk’ aims to manipulate the circadian rhythm to alleviate some of the symptoms of dementia. It shifts through the natural colour temperatures of daylight to provide adjustable and consistent light routines. Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to managing dementia, light is one of the elements that is challenging to keep consistent, ‘Dusk’ aims to help with that. The product is intended for aged care homes and is customisable to create a more homely environment.

DUSK

DUSK Interface

BRIGHT

BINARY

FOLD

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.