piggy bank
Mr.Piggy
From the paradox: “The excitement of distress”
The ritual of saving money for a desired object or experience is probably as old as money itself. Even with the development of virtual money, many people still cherish the tradition of depositing their small change in a piggy bank. However, in terms of everyday experience, piggy banks do not offer much – the money disappears and reappears only at the moment people decide to gauge the contents.
Mr. Piggy aims to create a rich experience out of the saving practice, both to make people more aware of the meaning of saving money and to encourage them to regularly perform this ritual.
Because of its asymmetric shape, the fuller the piggy bank gets, the more it becomes imbalanced and wobbly, until it finally gets full enough to fall over, shattering into many pieces and releasing its contents.
Because the users know that this will happen, but not when, every coin evokes the paradoxical combination of fright and excitement that this may be the last one.
Fortunately, being made out of plaster, the shattered remains of Mr. Piggy are naturally-shaped bits of chalk that can be used to write on blackboards, giving him a second life and purpose.
Within the use, each piece will slowly be consumed, making My Piggy slowly disappear.
Mr. Piggy clearly shows that products can take on a new role: they can serve as carriers of experiences and activities rather than purely objects of desire and attachment.
Mr. Piggy is part of the series “Darker Shades of Joy”, a research project carried by Sara Ferrari and Steven Fokkinga at TU Delft. To read more about the project please click here.
