The Love Shack

2024 | Collaborators: Michelle Hernandez, Eric Von Haynes and James Wurm

The Love Fridge Chicago is a mutual-aid network setting up community-run, free food fridges across the City. Our team sought to implement wayfinding and placemaking opportunities for the Love Shack, a highly active community fridge site located in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood. Notably, the fridge is visible from the California Pink Line CTA station platform. After conducting research on the site, the various communities who interface with the fridge and various pain points from organizers, we sought to light up the under-utilized 16 x 6 foot fence sitting adjacent to the fridge as a placemaking opportunity. The goal was not only to create a straightforward wayfinding message illuminated from a public transport vantage point but also to create a sense of safety by lighting up an otherwise dark area at night. 375 laser cut squares of fluorescent acrylic were installed in a design that was intuitive to the fence's existing infrastructure. This was a highly iterative and collaborative team process that took place over the course of four months. Full research deck available upon request.

Special thanks to our instructor, Eric Von Haynes.