Fictitious Forms: What would self-care rituals look like for clay people?
This project imagines fictitious products for fictitious worlds. Our world? A world of clay people.
The world is made out of malleable oil-based clay people whose bodies deform under relatively high pressure. They consume oil and sand and excrete waste through their skin, similar to pimples. In this world, one’s perception of their own hygiene and appearance is directly linked to the way they feel about themselves. The cleaner they feel, the more self content they become. Hence, personal grooming is not just a necessity but is a form of
self love they pamper themselves with.
The 3 key rules in this world are that these clay people are oil-based thus they are insoluble in water, they retain malleability in arid environments, can be dissolved with alcohol and can be melted and remoulded.
The clay world does not have seasons, and temperature is consistent all year round at approximately 30 degrees, which is also the optimal temperature for the clay people to function. Thus, they will not spontaneously soften due to the weather. No pain is experienced when the clay people’s bodies are deformed, so clay can be removed from their body without discomfort. However, removing too much clay will result in a reduction in strength and mobility.
Researching into hygiene and grooming, we explored grooming a self-care ritual which not only has a goal of cleaning, but also serves a relaxing and therapeutic practice.
Imagining the lives of clay people, a 3-piece grooming set was designed for groom in the form of a self-care ritual.
This ritual consists of removing the filthy layer of skin with a scraper, cleaning it with a filtering system and applying it back on with a spray mist-smoothener.
In collaboration with Tan Zhi Ru and Shaina Kang
