Stacey Greenebaum

PRODUCT VOODOO:
An Exploration of the Extra-Rational Life of Objects

"Product Voodoo" refers to the fact that people, at some level, expect certain objects in their lives to help them in some way, much as a "voodoo doll" might. This paper examines the many scenarios in which people treat objects or artifacts in their lives as more than simply utilitarian, material objects; examples include attachment to rare or treasured objects, assigning living qualities to objects, forming collections of objects, use of religious objects, buying more than we need, (object) fetishes, and, of course, voodoo dolls. This work and some primary research has led, among other things, to the production of over 60 tiles, each of which is designed to appeal to (what I discovered is) our need for a certain amount of clarity in meaning and/or narrative.



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