Tea Cups

For my final project for scrapyard I wanted to explore not only into lost and found technology but how this idea would relate to feminist theories. “Nuclear Families” are no longer a normal set american ideal and that stay out home moms, “housewives”, are phasing out. Yet society places these gender onto young girls and women. In a way we are being forced to conform and are trapped by societies views.

At a thrift store I found a tea set and a rolling pin. I then knitted cosies for each of these objects to demonstrate the entrapment of these ideals placed around women. Tea sets are feminized objects associated with female gathers and manners. The rolling pin is an object that relates to cooking, baking, and motherhood. I also knitted hot pads. I then places speakers inside of the tea cups and made a switch using an arduino to talk to processing to say things like “mind your manners” when you lifted up the tea cup off of the saucer. The hot pads are made so if you set someone down on them it will activate a switch that makes them say such things as “know your place” and “you belong in the kitchen”. Sadly, I was not able to get this working before final critics, it is still a work in progress but I plan on continuing this project with a tiny children’s tea set. I would also like to create a video piece where I will be using these objects as props. Hopefully that will be up soon!

 

Pictures should be up soon!

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