Projects of Simon Kinneir

I have been much impressed and enlightened by the works of Simon Kinneir. According to Kinneir, “in society, there are a group of people who cannot live normal lives. Life is harder for them due to either congenital or acquired handicaps. Particularly, for the visually impaired, life is even harder because they cannot see people or things, and could only touch things through auditory and tactile senses.” Therefore, he designed a set of tableware exclusively for the visually impaired, hoping to make their dining more convenient.

Due to impaired eyesight, almost all of the visually impaired need companionship and help in daily lives, but it is difficult to have 24-hour full-time caretakers. Thus, Simon Kinneir intended to start by improving the dining environment for the visually impaired, so that they can at least take care of their meals.

He added solid marks similar to braille to the tableware, so that the visually impaired could use it like normal people. Though tableware is identifiable when touching it, the marks added to it can save a lot of time. I appreciate Simon Kinneir’s works mostly because, in addition to tableware, they also include some kitchenware, such as chopping blocks. In addition to the solid marks, some deep-cut lines are also added, with which the users can cut food along. Besides, fluid containers Kinneir designed also well reflect his care for the visually impaired.

Common fluid containers often have a smooth surface, and can become heavy when containing fluid. So they are not easy for the visually impaired to hold. Therefore, Kinneir has designed a special appearance for the containers, like being fixed in a square frame. The visually impaired can hold such containers firmly.

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