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Group members:
Mansi Chottani, Kye Li Chia, Yuying Wang (Abbey), Zuzana Galova, Roshni Suri
Brief:
Design and make a new form for a dematerialised artefact
Date:
20th April - 8th June 2023


Expanding on the concept of the ‘Breakup Picnic’, we discussed about the existense of the concept of first dates and realised that there isn’t one for last dates. In efforts to formalise this thought, we developed the concept of a ritual for the final date.

Inititally, we had the idea of having a ‘60 minute breakup’ where a couple would utilse a set of candles to answer questions about the relationship, with each candle acting as a timer for a specific question. However, we were advised not to limit the experience to a physical product and instead incorporate the gains of breakup texts and  physical breakups.

Sketch of the ‘60 minute breakup’ idea.

Ultimately, we decided to frame the ritual as a meal due to its familiarity. Meals have established steps and this familiar structure naturally guided the progression throughout the ritual.

Once we settled on the meal-themed concept, we proceeded to analyse the elements of breakup text we wished to incorporate into our breakup ritual.

From our research, we extracted several valuable elements of breakup texts and physical breakups to implement into our design:

Elements of the breakup texts:
  • The ability to prepare, carefully consider and articulate thoughts before sending them
  • The absence of direct eye contact
  • The proof of conversation or breakup (e.g., through a screenshot)

Elements of physical breakups:
  • The concept of closure, as breakup texts often lead to prolonged back-and-forth discussions

Breakup tablecloth with elements of breakups and breakup texts regenerated. Photo credit: Zuzana Galova

Ritual manual and menu.

Having identified the interactions we aimed to regenerate, we proceeded to incorporate them into the setup of our ritual.

These included:
  • Seating placement that allowed both parties to be present but not directly face each other
  • A notepad plate to encourage pausing and articulating emotions before speaking
  • A menu consisting of questions to guide the back-and-forth conversation during the breakup
  • A check for ensuring closure

    Stencil of the breakup tablecloth.

    • Making process. Photo credit: Yuying Wang (Abbey) 

    Reflection:
    Throughout the week, I was unwell and unable to physically join the group, which was quite frustrating. Despite this, I made efforts to contribute remotely and assist with the ideation and creation processes as much as possible.