In The Field: Welding
I had the pleasure of undertaking a new activity and something I have wanted to do for a long time – welding! Perhaps it has something to do with working so much on computers and in the digital realm that I really love rolling my sleeves up and getting my hands dirty or visiting massive warehouses that are full of machinery and gear.
Women on the Tools
The class I attended was hosted by the fabulous organisation “Women on the Tools” and facilitated by Founder and friend, JC. Over time, JC had realised that many women, disabled folk, and people with cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds had little experience with tools or basic DIY skills. But it wasn’t from a lack of interest, it actually stemmed from a lack of opportunity. So they started offering practical courses delivered in a safe and welcoming environment to break down barriers and build confidence through practical learning. Amazing right?
JC is also an accomplished visualartist and sculptor. Their practice spans culpture, installation, performance and new media works to investigate contemporary conceptions of gender, sexuality, desire and embodied identity. They focus on building resilience across queer generations in an increasingly precarious world. You can read more about JC’s recent work here.
Observations and Takeaways
The workshop was nearly four hours long and I enjoyed every minute.
I hadn’t necessarily expected to but I discovered many elements that were similar to working in mixed reality.
Helmet/Headset Similarities
Firstly, you have to wear a heavy helmet which covers your eyes and ears, removing a lot of your perception of the outside world. Secondly, I didn’t realise but you actually have to weld in the “dark” while wearing the helmet. There is an LCD crystal display inside (your little window to the outside word) which darkens when an external solar panel detects super bright light. This protects your eyesight while welding but returns to normal vision when the welding stops. This very much reminded me of “passthrough” vision of mixed reality headsets.
Guiding Attention
While viewing the world through this “window” your attention is narrowed to something very specific right in front of you. Similarly, we as designers try to guide the audience’s perspective, so that a user’s attention is focused on a specific point usually to further the narrative or experience.
Safety and Ergonomics
Throughout the workshop a lot of time was taken to go over safety, ergonomics, and correct body posture. This is also something that designers are conscious of when creating mixed reality experiences.
How long is the overall experience? Do we need to introduce regular breaks?
Will a person’s eyes fatigue after looking at certain objects, colours or text over time?
How do we anticipate a user will move through the environment?
Will they need to get down on the floor or hold their arms up for extended periods?
How do we protect them from bumping into obstacles or tripping over physical objects?
What kind of warnings do we need to provide from the outset?
Gender Design and Comfort
It was interesting to note that the gear was not manufactured for women. The safety clothing only came in large sizes. It was awkward to walk in oversize spats to cover my shoes, the helmets were large and heavy while oversized gloves made it tricky to handle the welding handle accurately. Although I enjoyed my welding experience, I would definitely look into specialised sized safety gear if I was going to weld on a regular basis.
I had also never considered what it was like to wear bulky, heavy safety gear in a hot warehouse while looking through this tiny portal to perform such intricate and dangerous tasks. I have so much respect for people like him who do this work for a living on a daily basis!
Big shout out to JC and the team at Women on the Tools for running such a great workshop and providing this type of service to the community by making it accessible and welcoming to people from a variety of backgrounds.