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Rectangle, soft and silky, medium size, black

It’s intended to be re-useable and machine washable, the mash fabric is made for better breathability and comfort and can be adjusted for specific fit.

It’s a good alternative to single use mask if I’m only outside for a brief moment.

It’s a dead object

It’s made to reduce the use of disposable face masks, which have a significaint increase of useage and it is damaging the environment since the pandemic, from an article on The Guardian, there are masks and gloves found on 30% of UK beaches (Laville, 2020)

Other than its function as a personal protective equipment, it’s made for comfort as well which challenges their competitors to produce better products at an affordable price.

The were bought online through Uniqlo’s website and has been washed once.

It loses it’s functionality after 30 washes so it will be likely to be thrown away at that point.

Laville, S. (2020) Face masks and gloves found on 30% of UK beaches in clean-up. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/06/face-masks-and-gloves-found-on-30-of-uk-beaches-in-clean-up.

Chris Kou

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Blue cylinder
Red and white font
Size about 25mm*30mm

I picked it up with my hand. Then twist it with both hands together

For me, it can save my life in winter.
Without it, my lips would bleed and peel. Then I will be uncomfortable and my mood will become very bad.

Dead

The blue shell packaging is made of plastic, which is made of natural resin.
The ingredients of the paste inside the package are also natural extracts.

The sales are very strong all over the world. It has been focusing on lip care for more than 70 years and is the best seller every year. It is also the top lip balm in several Asian countries.

Blistex was founded in 1947 as a small, family-run company in the business of developing and marketing lip care products, primarily in the United States.
Its focus was to develop and market lip care products in the United States.

Maybe not many people will buy it in the future. Because recently someone discovered that the Chinese version of this lip balm has carcinogenic ingredients.

Jiarong Xu

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What do you notice about its shape, texture, size, colour, and temperature?
Rectangle, unfold and close to a circle /Non-woven/ 18x9cm/blue and white/

How is the object designed to interact with your body or hand?
The mask is used to cover the face, and the ropes on both sides are used to hang the ears.

What does the object mean to you?
It makes me feel safe when I'm in an epidemic situation or when I'm not wearing makeup.

It is dead or alive?
It's a product, so definitely not alive. but.. it save many lives. So whether it's alive or not, it can carry a lot of life and I think this is the most valuable thing about it.

What is its relationship to nature?
The materials are made from natural plants(cotton), and animal hair, sacrifice other plants and animals  just to protect human beings. It's a bit ironic, right ?

What is its relationship to industry?
Thanks to advanced technology, the production speed of the mask is very fast. The whole roll of non-woven fabric in the factory's automatic production line is automatically cut into the shape of the mask. After automatic lamination, the ear band is welded from the back, and then the  product is packaged through disinfection and other procedures. Multiple production lines can be carried out at the same time.

What is its history of your object?
The use of masks in rituals or ceremonies is a very ancient human practice across the world, although masks can also be worn for protection, in hunting, in sports, in feasts, or in wars – or simply used as ornamentation. Some ceremonial or decorative masks were not designed to be worn. Although the religious use of masks has waned, masks are used sometimes in drama therapy or psychotherapy.

What is the future of your object?
In China, due to the epidemic situation, everyone went out with masks, so the spread of the cover-19 was quickly controlled. But I read the news, this product has caused controversy abroad, and many people demonstrated and refused to wear masks. Since most foreign news websites are blocked in China, so we don't understand this behavior. Maybe it has other special significance besides protection function? I don't know.

Yuwen 🐼

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cylindrical / Brown translucence / plastic / natural

The size of the object is similar to the size of the palm of hand, It is easy to carry and smells good. The alcohol does not smell too heavy. It can be cleaned and disinfected anytime and anywhere.This design achieves both appearance and function.

What does it mean to me?

Prevent bacterial and aesthetic appearance

It makes me cleaner and psychologically protected.I never leave home without it. It's essential.

There's interaction between us, it's doing its job, and in a sense, I'm unilaterally declaring it alive

What is its relationship to nature?

Most of its components come from nature. It is a transformation of natural substances, and this relationship is very subtle.

What is its relationship to industry?

There is no denying that the relationship between them is close.It needs to be developed by the different industry in order to achieve its life.At the same time, it also serves the factory.

What is the history of your object?

I guess it was the medical staff, because alcohol is not easy to carry, who invented this disposable, gelatinous drug.

What is the future of your objects?

I think after this coVID-19 experience, this disinfection products will definitely be valued in the future and will become a necessity for everyone, like a wallet. Because it gives the public a sense of psychological and physical security.

Renee

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This is the first cup I have in this strange country. I used my roommate's cup until now.

I have always liked the happiness that tableware brings to people. The tableware you like can make the food more delicious and make the dining process more complete. So I have been reluctant to leave it alone, and I don’t want to buy tableware that I don’t like in the supermarket at my doorstep.

The cup is not very regular, it looks like some uncertain factors. I believe I am a dog person. The puppy squatted in the cup and looked at you expectantly, reminding me of the gluttonous look of my dog. Miss him very much.

But I found that when I used it, I was a little reluctant to pour too hot water into the quilt, because I was afraid that it would lie down on him. Is it a sweet burden? But every day I see this cup and I feel good.

Delia

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1 curved，concave/metallic，tough/small/silvery, neutral/cold.

2 It is used to hold food or soup, and when I use it to drink soup, it makes a sound.

3  a tool，also can be seemed as a bridge to approach my food politely.

4 alive

5 Nature: It's made of metals that come from nature，and made by chemical methods.

6 Industry: Ergonomic design,  mass production by the factory.

7 History: The Earliest Chinese people used spoons to eat food, which belonged to the Neolithic Age about 7,000 to 8,000 years ago and was directly related to the emergence of farming culture.

8 Future: Eliminate the sound

Wendi Nie

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Shape: a cylinder with a little irregular shape
Texture: plastic
Size: about 1*1*15cm
Color: translucent white/grey
Temperature: it depends on the outside temperature

How to interact with your body or hand
- Press with my finger on the top to start
- During writing, hold it to control

What does the object mean to you
- A tool of writing

Is it dead or alive
- Dead

Relationship to nature
- The most primitive material comes from petroleum
- Difficult to decompose naturally in nature

Relationship to industry
- The production process involves appearance design, label printing, model making, plastic processing, ink making, metal pen tip
- Among them, the ball of the metal pen tip is a difficulty in the industry

History
- Gel pens originated in Japan. In 1988, Japan Pentel Co., Ltd. successfully developed a product called "HYBRID", and gel pens were born.

Future
- Continue to use it every day. When the ink is used up, you can purchase the ink separately and use it forever.

Four

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What do you notice about its shape, texture, size, colour, and temperature?  irregular shape, rough course texture when dry but soft and flexible when wet, natural yellow colour, warm temperature

How is the object designed to interact with your body or hand? - has been cut to fit between your fingers comfortably when using it during painting - can be cut further by the user to craft the perfect shape for each person.

What does the object mean to you? - doesn’t mean too much to me but allows me to add texture and lift colour from watercolour paintings - which I haven’t actually done in a while.

Is the object dead or alive? - used to be alive as a sea sponge which is a multicellular organism. Sea sponges cannot photosynthesise so they are now considered animals. The average life span of a sea sponge in the sea is 10 years.

What is its relationship to nature? -  They have been harvested from nature by people for centuries. But cut sponges regrow, often healthier and bigger than the original, within a few years and any pieces broken off will settle back to the ocean floor, connect to a new object and create a new sponge.

What is its relationship to industry? - natural sea sponges are used a lot in the fine art and ceramic industry - even masters like Leonardo Da Vinci used them.

What is the history of your object? - they have existed for around 700 million years. Scientists have discovered that they were the first animals on Earth. The first references of sponges being used by humans dates back to the Romans, using them for hygiene and cleaning. They are depicted on Greek pottery as a depiction of opulence and as a status symbol.

What is the future of your object? - to hopefully be used as much as possible before eventually having to throw it away when it gets worn down and starts falling apart.

Dasha

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rectangle, metal+plastic, not so big, black , change from cold to warm

When I use it, smoke is sucked into my body through the mouthpiece and I exhale it back out.

It's an object that helps me relieve stress.

When I was using it, I felt it was alive.

Maybe some of the tobacco is derived from nature.

It was manufactured by industry.

It is commonly stated that the modern e-cigarette was invented in 2003 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, but tobacco companies had been developing nicotine aerosol generation devices since as early as 1963. As of 2018, 95% of e-cigarettes were made in China.

In 1927, Joseph Robinson applied for a patent for an electronic vaporizer to be used with medicinal compounds. The patent was approved in 1930 but the device was never marketed. In 1930, the United States Patent and Trademark Office reported a patent stating, "for holding medicinal compounds which are electrically or otherwise heated to produce vapors for inhalation." In 1934 and 1936, further similar patents were applied for.

From a health point of view, more people will use e-cigarettes in the future. E-cigarettes are better than cigarettes in terms of taste, and have too many benefits than cigarettes, the most important is to reduce the harm 95% is just that the audience is not as large as the smokers, but this is only a matter of index, when the e-cigarette has a certain base of users, may be treated tobacco it, of course, depends on whether tobacco is willing to be replaced.

JiaJing Sun

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Compact.

Cylindrical.

Malleable.

Bright.

Eye catching.

What could this everyday object be?

It’s the ever-so-functional ear plug. A tiny little object with a big mission to protect the hearing of its owner and cancel out noisy situations when needed. Squish and roll in your hand to place in your ears. Then - S-I-L-E-N-C-E.

My relationship to the ear plug.

What does it mean to me?

A good night’s sleep.

Peace of mind that hearing stays intact during life - from concerts to battle to working in a factory.

It is not alive, but the squishy texture responds to touch so some life is breathed into it through that fact. It responds to touch.

The relationship to nature is a tricky one since the material of these is quite synthetic, but thinking deeper about it the relationship of nature and hearing - sounds in nature could be blocked by this object.

It has a close relationship to industry with many factory workers using ear plugs to prevent hearing loss when working near loud machinery.

I believe the history is that they were first made for military troops to prevent hearing loss when gunfire was present in battle.

The future of my object that it is disposable so will be used and likely tossed after so many uses.

- AMY

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I's a mini guy that I can put in my pocket.
It's blue, fluffy, always warm and tender.

It has a stressful and awkward face, which some of my friends say it is a little bit scary, but I think it's sooooo adorable.
Because I am a person that often feels stressed and awkward in many situations, so when I see this little monster, it could always give me comfort. To some extent, it could be another me or my clone and tell me that I'm not the only odd guy.

It is an eco-friendly monster, as it doesn't eat and generate wastes. Since I find it in an online store that focuses on collecting odd toys, it became my important companion.
I usually take it with me; when I go out, I hang it on my bag, when I at home, I set it on my desk.
It accompany me from China to London, and I am sure that we will take care of each other for a long time in the future.

Yaya

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It was pretty cold when i picked it up, which I prefer, because who wants warm gel on your hands. This object is one hundred percent dead, and it even promises you the bacteria on your hands will be so too. It fits well in my hand, it’s lightweight, and has a transparent material. I’ve noticed they’ve used blue droplets as a design, to probably reinforce the idea of cleanliness. This object has been a familiar face, this year more than ever, and I’m sure a lot of you can relate. Because of that reason, I’m having a love-hate relationship with it; where I’m grateful I have it, but wish I didn’t need to. Before this year, my relationship with this object was completely different, and the hygiene industry have probably noticed that as well. With the demand skyrocketing, followed by the price increase there’s been a lot of attention on this product lately. It hasn’t always been this convenient to carry immediate personal hygiene products with you wherever you are, and isn’t even this convenient in many other countries. Even though I’m not sure what exactly the future of this product might look like, I think it’s going to be heavily influenced by the way we are currently using them, while properties like portability, effectiveness, and ease will be the driving factors.
Ghia

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Smooth/plastic & metal/transparent/long stripes/fluorescent green/light is possible to burn

Fire from thumbing the switch

Used every day/habitually pocketed.

Made fire (which is natural)

It is an industrial product. The catalysts are from the chemical industry.

The first lighters were converted flintlock pistols that used gunpowder. One of the first lighters was invented by a German chemist named Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner in 1823 and was often called Döbereiner's lamp.

The patenting of ferrocerium (often misidentified as flint) by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1903 has made modern lighters possible. When scratched, it produces a large spark which is responsible for lighting the fuel of many lighters, and is suitably inexpensive for use in disposable items.

In the 1950s, there was a switch in the fuel of choice from naphtha to butane, as butane allows for a controllable flame and has less odour.This also led to the use of piezoelectric spark, which replaced the need for a flint wheel in some lighters and was used in many Ronson lighters.

There are already "lighters" that ignite cigarettes or other objects by heating a heating wire with electricity, which is charged to ensure energy. I think the lighter of the future may be more durable, smaller, and safer to use than gas.

Abel

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Please upload an image of your object and your writing to this padlet .

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What do you notice about its shape, texture, size, color and temperature?

Apart from being puffy, I’d say it’s pretty much amorphous—or rather its shape changes all the time. I can make it really small but I can also stretch it. Its texture is soft and delicate. Technically, it’s a small object as it easily fits in my hand but then I guess comparatively to other scrunchies it is quite big. It’s white and light blue. It doesn’t really have a temperature but somehow it kinda feels warm in my hand. It has a little tag with the name of the brand embroidered on it as well.

How is the object designed to interact with your body or hand?

It is designed to hold my hair together. I guess it is also designed so that I wear it on my wrist/carry it with me.

What does the object mean to you?

I guess it’s mainly a functional object but there is also an emotional value attached to it.

Is it dead or alive?

Interesting question. Technically it is dead, but the memories associated to it makes me feel like it’s alive (weird, I know).

What is its relationship to nature?

It’s made of cotton so I guess technically it comes from nature (after lots of transformation processes, of course).

What is its relationship to industry?

It was certainly designed by the brand and then manufactured by them/a subcontractor in the textile industry (don’t know how they operate) so I guess it’s the outcome of the work of several industrial actors.

What is the history of your object?

I don’t know about the history of the object in itself (like when it was first designed etc.) but I guess I can share my history in relation to it—super corny, you’re warned. I used to wear the exact same crunchy as a child but I eventually lost it or gave it away. Then a couple years ago I came across one of the brand’s stores and realized they were still making them so I bought it again. That’s it.

What is the future of your object?

Will keep on using it to tie up my hair as long as it lasts.

Victoire

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Meet small iron Hello Kitty, the iconic Japanese cartoon cat created by Sanrio. She stands in her classic ‘waving’ pose, wearing a pretty dress with a heart on, and a flower by her ear. Unlike most representations of Hello Kitty however, she is not white/pink in colour, because she is made out of cast iron. She is a dull grey, with a slightly rough surface texture. She is always cold to the touch initially, and weighs unexpectedly heavily in your hand. On the back of her head, the word ‘Sanrio’ is slightly crudely rendered.

Small, iron Hello Kitty came into my life during a tempestuous emotional period, during which I became convinced that my constant symptoms of tiredness and weakness were as the result of an iron deficiency (when actually they were the result of a bad breakup and a horrible living situation).

In researching iron supplements, I came across the ‘lucky iron fish’ (https://luckyironfish.com/), a small, cast iron fish which is intended to be thrown into any boiling water or liquid based meal, where it releases enough iron to supplement your intake. The lucky iron fish is very expensive from official sources, so I turned to eBay in the hope of finding a bootleg version. I found much better than that — an official Sanrio small iron Hello Kitty, for which I could barely hit the ‘buy’ button fast enough. It was expensive (around £20), but much less than the alternative. It took so long to come (from China), I’d almost forgotten I ordered it.

When it arrived I was suddenly filled with doubt… Is this definitely iron? What if it’s got lead or some other toxic metal in? What if I poison myself? So I never used her for her intended purpose (and maybe I could never have bought myself to throw her into a pan of boiling water anyway), instead placing her on my desk, where she has sat ever since.

Her reassuring weight makes her a comforting companion, though if you hold her for too long she makes your hand smell metallic, so I mostly just let her observe proceedings. She is not alive but I assign a certain life to anything with a face, so she is certainly a presence of some kind to me.

The character of Hello kitty bears very little resemblance to a natural cat, and this version in iron is somehow both further from, and closer to, nature. No cat has a weight, texture or colour like this, but if you close your eyes and let her rest in your hand, you could almost believe she is a heavy stone found on the beach.

Despite being a Japanese character, my Hello Kitty was made in China. She is simple in construction, being made of moulded cast iron, but her birth will have been intense, the hot lava of molten metal somehow flowing into her individual or collective mould in some factory on the other side of the world.

Her specific history as an object is tangled up both in the origins of Hello Kitty as a character (on which many essays could be written), and human health concerns/general aspirational ‘wellness’. Her creation is a collision of these things in a way which few franchises pull off to quite the extent Hello Kitty and other Japanese characters have done. As a fan of weirdly specific branded spin offs, I appreciate her existence in my life. She will probably continue to sit on my desk, perhaps until the end of my life, or perhaps until I have some emotional clearout which I will inevitably come to regret… Or perhaps until I meet someone for whom she would be the perfect gift. As long as she is cared for, she could live on for hundreds or even thousands of years, but if she were to ever end up abandoned, exposed to the elements, she would probably disappear within a few years, or decades, slowly browning to rust, and ultimately melting away. I hope that won’t be her fate.

(Emma Charleston)