Frames of kindness

In early 2021, Stichting Wijkoverleg ’t Ven in Eindhoven’s ’t Ven district invited residents to share what they wanted to change or improve in their neighbourhood. With the help of De Hartendames, wishes and experiences were collected throughout the community. Around two thirds reflected a need for greater social contact and for ways to support one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through CKE, I was asked to help turn these signals into possible responses. Rather than immediately designing a solution, I used conversations with residents and the collected input to understand what was behind the wishes. I deliberately translated these insights into visual concepts, making an abstract social need tangible and allowing residents and project partners to respond to concrete possibilities rather than to reports or theory.

One of the concepts that emerged was ’t Wensterbankje: a small steel window frame containing a plant and a personal message. It was placed visibly in a resident’s window and, after several weeks, passed on to another neighbour with a new message. In this way, the object travelled through the community and created small opportunities for recognition, conversation and connection at a time when physical contact was restricted. By mid-March, Wensterbankjes had been introduced across all streets in the neighbourhood.

The project combined a systemic approach with concept visualisation: the need originated within the community, visualisation helped uncover and discuss possible responses, and residents and local partners became part of turning one of those ideas into reality. The visual concepts therefore did more than communicate the research; they helped transform a diffuse social need into something understandable, discussable and actionable.

This project was made possible by Stichting Wijkoverleg ’t Ven, residents of ’t Ven, Buurtcultuurfonds Woonbedrijf, CKE Eindhoven, HV Plaatwerk, DFM Bloemencentrale, WIJeindhoven and De Hartendames.