“Spatial Skin” explores self-regulation in situations where space cannot be controlled or chosen. The author, as a student with a mental illness living in a shared flat, rarely finds places for retreat, especially in public. Everyday situations such as crowded streets, sensory overload, or unexpected triggers quickly become overwhelming, raising the question of where to find the necessary space if none is available.

This experience led to a simple conclusion: if space cannot be found, the solution is to carry one's own.

Instead of designing a room, this undergraduate project explores the ability to create mental and physical space through a wearable structure that transfers spatial qualities to the body. The project acts as a personal infrastructure for self-regulation, while also critiquing the neglected psychosocial aspects of public spaces.

Ultimately, an intimate dialogue is established between the user and the structural skin.

The textile technology in “Spatial Skin” consists of self-developed, 3D-printed, interwoven folding mechanisms, hand-crafted and sewn. It conforms to and adapts to the organic forms of the human body, while retaining its geometry. The mechanism expands and contracts when mechanical force is applied.