Anomals

DESIGN: Einav Ben-Asher

Israel

make me! 2020

3rd make me! Paradyż Award (ex aequo) 10.000 PLN funded by Ceramika Paradyż

Anomals project aims to focus on society’s treatment towards abnormality. In our society it is harder for people who are not within the norm to integrate, and they are not accepted as equals often. Understanding that this perception of norms begins from childhood, the designer chose to represent the meaning of difference as a series of puppets. Usually, puppets are presented within the norm or as an ideal, therefore creating an abnormal puppet will attract attention and hopefully open up a new and positive dialogue about anomalies, at an early age.

The puppet series consists of 5 animals with a dominant characteristic. In this characteristic I intervened and created an anomaly. Using an animal as a puppet makes it a general example of representing a variety of abnormalities in people, while keeping the subject less threatening. Each puppet is a tool for explaining to children and encourages their acceptance and empathy.