<< | 1 2 3 4 | >>

The Birth Project

PART TWO: Artefact Design- Subject Research and Presentation: THE PREFORMIST THEORY

Continuing with the theme of supersition and consumerism, I saw potential in reviving a 'traditional' or lost therapy to revive and sell. What follows are some slides from my presentation.

I began by looking into very early theories of conception. Paracelsus, a Greek philosopher was the first to offer the theory that the male was solely responsible for the creation of a baby, in that the fetus already existed, preformed within the male sperm. This theory was known as Preformism.
I began looking at what this could mean in terms of attitudes towards the woman's role in the birthing process, and found that the common belief was that the woman's character and morals were thought to directly effect the mental and physical characteristics of the baby, deformities or handicaps being perceived of the ultimate evidence of a tainted character.

This point of view has interesting parallels with modern treatment of preganant women as 'baby vessels'. As well as the attitude that promiscuity in woman is seen as deplorable, whilst remaining acceptable for men.

I developed the idea of a product that would help women to rid themselves of their impure thoughts that might endanger their baby.

In the 18th Century, two anthropologists made independent studies of the physiology of Prostitutes, insisting that they all shared common pysical traits. Described as being almost 'ape-like' and primal, they believed that women looking a certain way were 'born' prostitutes.

So, it seems obvious that from the responsible male preformist's point of view, he should protect his potential unborns from the perils of the immoral woman's womb. I developed the idea of condoms with pictures of women that had the classic characteristics of a prostitute on them, making it more convenient to identify the ones with questionable morals.

There are potential Preformist markets for both men and women. I wanted to create a brand that would embody the Preformist philosophy, and make it an accessible identity that promted the ideals of Preformist responsibility: Spermcare for men, morality for women.