The Foyle Bridge in Derry, N.Ireland has been the location for over 90 suicides since 1984, 245 people have been rescued after taking the plunge and over 2000 have been talked down from the bridge.
In collaboration with the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, myself, Lisa Mandemaker & Kit Webb proposed a design of a non-imposing installation to minimise the number of suicides whilst also increasing the footfall on the bridge.
The design was taken forward by the team at the Helen Hamlyn Centre and is being built to sit along the Foyle Bridge as part of the Our Future Foyle project.
User research with residents from areas in London such as Archway where there are frequent suicide attempts from bridges, we began to build a set of criteria for the design. The Foyle Bridge specifically needs to be treated with a sensitivity to the significance of the bridge and the community of Derry. Explicit barriers are not desired, a non-invasive and non-obvious barrier of reeds was therefore proposed to blend in with the natural surroundings whilst also fulfilling the objective of acting as a barrier along the bridge.
To see our concept chosen and realised by the team at the Helen Hamlyn Centre has been a total privilege. The finalised piece is an installation which the community of Derry can interact with and make their own. This installation is just one of many other elements which make up the Our Future Foyle project. More information can be found at http://www.futurefoyle.org/bio
The renders were created by RAGE