Kelly Ni

Bad Goods: Behavioural Capsules for Human Nature

Bad Goods is a capsule-led speculative pharmaceutical project that reimagines suppressed human traits as prescribed behavioural substances. Responding to the psychological imbalance caused by toxic positivity and rigid moral binaries, the project asks: what if traits such as ego, chaos, apathy, and white lie were not judged as flaws, but understood as necessary doses of human nature?

Rooted in the idea of Pharmakon: something that can function as both cure and poison depending on dosage. Bad Goods proposes a fictional behavioural calibration system in which these traits are diagnosed, classified, and distributed through capsules, packaging, prescription forms, and a speculative pharmacy environment. Rather than offering a cure for “bad” behaviour, the project reframes moral grey areas as context-dependent substances.

At the centre of the project are four conceptual capsules, each developed from a microscopic visual metaphor.

White Lie uses a candy-like palette and web-like structure to suggest the sweet surface of social harmony, while concealing something decaying beneath; it reflects how harmless lies can soften reality, yet gradually distort it.

Chaos is visualised through fragmented code-based neurons, representing the need to interrupt over-regulated systems and break from the suffocation of perfect order.

Apathy is expressed through icy monochrome textures and fractured protective forms, framing emotional detachment not simply as emptiness, but as a defensive mechanism against overstimulation and burnout.

Ego is built around a dominant central eye surrounded by smaller external gazes, visualising self-prioritisation as both a protective boundary and a potentially overpowering force.

My inspiration came from observing how contemporary culture constantly encourages emotional smoothness, positivity, and self-regulation, while leaving little space for contradiction, discomfort, or behavioural complexity. I was interested in the tension between what society labels as undesirable and what people may actually need in order to survive socially and psychologically.