“Ketchup-in-a-Body Lotion Dispenser” Abomination
I began by brainstorming different objects that have universal interpretations. I identified the characteristics, properties, and emotions that supported these interpretations. I started to think about different senses, and how I might change an object’s characteristics to influence its interpretation.
My original object was a bottle of body lotion from Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, a luxury hotel in southern California. I’ve used this lotion to moisturize and rejuvenate dry skin. The lotion is opaque, white, oily, and smells like soap. Because of the lotion’s function and associated with soap, I know that it is not edible. The packaging is nearly transparent and has the classy logo for the luxury hotel. The smell and packaging remind me of a clean and fancy hotel room.
To create an unexpected experience, I thought about how I could alter these properties. I wanted to flip the interpretations of “classy” and “clean” into something opposite. How could I make my object disgusting? I decided to remove the body lotion and replace it with ketchup. Why ketchup? Ketchup is a condiment to compliment the taste of food. In restaurants, we come for the food, not the condiments. I don’t know of anyone who has eaten ketchup independent of anything else. The idea makes me gag. I hate when I get ketchup on my hands; the red stuff reminds me of blood. And it’s sticky. I want it off my hands immediately. I certainly wouldn’t want to use it as a body lotion.
The process of putting ketchup into the body lotion container was… disgusting. I got some in before I quit out of repulsion.