25 May 2022 News

How do we make rheumatism tangible?

Rheumatism is a collective term for more than 100 different disorders of your joints, muscles, tendons and bones that are not caused by an accident. In collaboration with ReumaNederland (Dutch Arthritis foundation), we are starting What if Lab: Make rheumatism  i̶n̶visible. ReumaNederland wants to answer the question: How do we make life with rheumatism tangible? This is an excellent opportunity to work with designers. Are you curious about which designer will participate in this lab and what exactly the design question is? Then keep reading!

More than two million people in the Netherlands live with rheumatism. That is one in nine people. Therefore, rheumatism is close to everyone, with far-reaching consequences. Severe pain, fatigue and damaged muscles make movement difficult and impede daily life. Because you cannot always tell, and because the symptoms vary from day to day, many rheumatism patients experience a lack of understanding. This makes the symptoms worse. This lack of understanding is not due to unwillingness but rather to ignorance and inexperience with rheumatism’s impact on life.

How can we allow a broad public to experience, in an installation, what impact rheumatism has on the daily lives of more than two million Dutch people?

This What if Lab has a twofold objective. On the one hand, to let people experience what it is like to live with rheumatism. This increases our understanding of the here and now. The other side is to make the obstacles of rheumatism experienceable in a temporary context, where you also have the luxury of being able to step out again.

Design studio Muzus is taking up this design challenge! The aim is to develop a deeper social awareness and understanding, even among people without rheumatism, and thus to put the urgency of solving the problem on the map. 

About Muzus

Muzus designs change for the society of tomorrow. Starting from the needs of the target group, they work, by means of a design approach, on social transitions and social issues. How do we make (future) experiences and needs of the target group negotiable and include them in our solutions?

Their informal care simulator enables you to experience what a future with informal care might be like, and to enter into a conversation with Muzus. In their Future Confessions project, you will receive a voicemail from the future to help you make retirement tangible. Something you would rather not think about (yet).

Monday is the kick-off of this lab. Stay tuned via our social media and website!

Muzus