Singing Teapots

Singing Teapots is a multi-sensory installation designed to engage people living with dementia with technology in a way that's more approachable and playful, as part of my Familiar Glow collection.

The game is controlled by 3 cast iron teapots, these can either be used by one person or split between multiple people. When a player brings their hand close to the teapot, the lights on the LED strips will change and a distinct bird call will play. Capacitive touch means that contact isn't necessary, hovering close will also trigger input for those cautious. 

Different combinations of teapots make different bird sounds, so experimenting together can discover new sounds and fill the LED ropes with vibrant, swirling colour. 

Singing Teapots was design and created in collaboration with David Hayward. This installation and 2 others are being tested in an exploratory research project in partnership with Dr Landon Peck, Dr Jenni MacRitchie and Dr Phil Joddrell and working with local charities supporting people living with dementia.

For why I'm building these installations, there is a growing need for interactive play for older generations, so I'm building play that is expressive and approachable and encouraging people living with dementia to build craft based games controllers that they find intuitive. You can watch this 5 minute talk I delivered in 2024 discussing the topic of approachable design: A (very) brief appeal for approachable games design.