Kent students asked to design torture device

It needs to be looked at in terms of an architecture assignment. It is the antithesis of what architecture should be, and involves a similar thought process to create.

Architecture takes into account the human body, it's dimensions and the effects of space upon our own body space, which is what this project would involve. Architecture mainly sets out to create comfortable spaces for us humans and torture devices do the opposite.

Although I have seen some architecture that I find torturous in itself when it is so badly designed.

We had to design a crematorium in our first year of architecture which did similar things and was very thought provoking and useful.

Naaah, they're not very creative...I'd be interested in looking up some devices from ancient China, perhaps...

Architecture class is definitely a silly place for that particular assignment.
But I could see it in an Industrial Design class...personally, I'd find it rather interesting to design a device like that.
I'm definitely not a sadist; I feel bad for killing flies.
But I'd still find it interesting on a cerebral level.
And perhaps quite disturbing, but that's just one of the cacophony of sensations in life, to be felt and processed just like everything else.
Avoiding it means numbing yourself.

I do understand folks' unwillingness to dive into that assignment.
It shouldn't even be on the roster, and they were right to pull it.

Perhaps as one choice of many for a bonus grade...?
If people started wailing about that, then they'd basically just be pushing their religious views, and would hopefully be ignored.

targus - for your sake and that of societies, don't play with fire.

maby i'm just twisted and screwed up in the head but i think it would be kinda kewl to reseach and construct a torcher device granted using it is a completly different story.

When separated from the normative society, the design and creation of a new spiky coffin could hold a strong message -- in an artistic way. I'm sure there is a way where a skilled architect can show off a new idea for something no-longer common in culture and make a criticism about culture. But torture still exists. New torture devices are created and sold all the time. The practice exists in subculture and is common practice in different parts of the world, still. We can't separate torture devices from our society. I agree with Hyett. Creating new hurt-machines are a dabble in "dangerous territory," and can be more destructive than productive to promote.

and the fashion. yeah, this trivializes things a bit. John Galliano, who put that show together, has made a business out of twisting current evens and sex into a sellable campy package. But that is definitely not camp.

Pretty disgusting for sure.