Object: kitchen grater
Characteristics of the original object: a culinary device that shreds cheese and vegetables. Not fancy, very functional. Utilitarian.
Characteristics of the new object: a jewelry display device. Still functional, but much more fancy! Instead of being associated with potatoes and parmesan, it is now associated with hair clips, bracelets (hidden inside), dangly, sparkling earrings, titanium and gold necklaces.
The first comment that I received from the audience was “Can you use it for post earrings?” This question made me happy because it was clear that the person had fully accepted the new functionality of the cheese grater, and was even hoping to carry it one step further! In fact, it does work for post earrings, but I didn’t bring any to class because they fall off easily.
The second comment that I received from the class was: “has it changed your perception of the original object?” This question caught me by surprise, as I had never thought about it before. In fact, my perception of kitchen graters has changed in that I’ve realized they are not very sharp! I used to think they were much too sharp to trust with my expensive jewelry, but the truth is that graters cut vegetables because of the force the user exerts, not their intrinsic sharpness.
My intended outcome was accomplished. I successfully found a new functionality for a an already-useful device! I’ve bought myself two graters: one for the kitchen, and one for the bedroom. It’s a very space-efficient way to display my jewelry.