Extending the Circle of Compassion
Daisy the Calf - Knife Sharpener
While slaughterhouses are required to meet a standards for cleanliness and humane treatment during slaughter, they are also in the business of killing animals: the faster the slaughter and butchering, the more meat produced and the more money made. Because of the pressure to slaughter animals quickly, mistakes that result in the violation of USDA regulations and lead to the mistreatment of the animals, unavoidably occur. In some slaughterhouses, almost 400 cattle per day are slaughtered, and at this speed it is "nearly impossible to guarantee each is slaughtered within the regulations". Cattle are ushered as quickly as possible from farm to truck to slaughter, sometimes resulting in injury. In addition, slaughterhouses have been reported as regularly failing to completely stun animals before the slaughtering process begins. This results in cows being hung and bled while they are still conscious.
Source: www.sustainabletable.org/issues/animalwelfare/
Description-
When people are enjoying meat, the objects in front of them are just ‘delicious food’. Steaks, for example, are “meat” instead of a part of a living creature. I attempted to create an ironic idea: what if the tragedies of the slaughterhouse were combined with our everyday kitchens? In addition, I named her ‘Daisy’ as an ordinary name for a female cattle, in order to personify her. The shape of Daisy is vivid and more importantly, users will have to face her innocent eyes as they sharpen. This prototype receives positive comments which encourages me to create more objects within similar concept.
The first prototype has a blade on its back which is based on ordinary knife sharpeners found on the market. This position is simple and clear for the user. However, it does not reflect a typical slaughtering process in which the calf is killed by cutting the throat. In the second prototype, the position of the blade has been changed to mimic the traditional method. This creates a stronger impact and connection for users.
This shows the dilemma that I have been faced with when positioning the blade: functional orientation or emotional impression? To solve this problem I asked myself where do I aim to locate my concept? What story does this product attempt to tell? To find out, I deployed the second prototype at the Castle St. Farmer’s Market. I observed that with the blade positioned at the neck, people felt as though they were killing a calf. Compared with the first prototype, which made less connection to reality, I found that the second prototype impacted the users and stimulated their emotions. Therefore, the concluding design features a blade on the neck.
When people are enjoying meat, the objects in front of them are just ‘delicious food’. Steaks, for example, are “meat” instead of a part of a living creature. I attempted to create an ironic idea: what if the tragedies of the slaughterhouse were combined with our everyday kitchens? In addition, I named her ‘Daisy’ as an ordinary name for a female cattle, in order to personify her. The shape of Daisy is vivid and more importantly, users will have to face her innocent eyes as they sharpen. This prototype receives positive comments which encourages me to create more objects within similar concept.
The first prototype has a blade on its back which is based on ordinary knife sharpeners found on the market. This position is simple and clear for the user. However, it does not reflect a typical slaughtering process in which the calf is killed by cutting the throat. In the second prototype, the position of the blade has been changed to mimic the traditional method. This creates a stronger impact and connection for users.
This shows the dilemma that I have been faced with when positioning the blade: functional orientation or emotional impression? To solve this problem I asked myself where do I aim to locate my concept? What story does this product attempt to tell? To find out, I deployed the second prototype at the Castle St. Farmer’s Market. I observed that with the blade positioned at the neck, people felt as though they were killing a calf. Compared with the first prototype, which made less connection to reality, I found that the second prototype impacted the users and stimulated their emotions. Therefore, the concluding design features a blade on the neck.
