Mahima Ananthraj

We live in an era that is obsessed with being productive. With numerous things demanding our attention outside of ourselves, we are left with little energy. We do the bare minimum and only look after our physical needs, leaving our emotional needs unattended to, for long periods. This has resulted in a sharp increase in stress, anxiety, and depression.

The Unbottles help us capture our mood when we take a moment for ourselves in the restroom in the middle of an otherwise busy day. By urging us to record our state of mind and become aware of our inner atmosphere, the Unbottles steer us towards our emotions by acting as compasses. 

The Unbottles are soap dispensers that suggest feelings through the use of lines and forms. They translate feelings into shapes using glass as a medium. Glass is the sole material that has been used to make this product. While being fragile, glass is valuable and lasting, just like our feelings. The process of making blown glass is also reminiscent of the experience of feeling- unpredictable, messy, but beautiful and deeply rewarding.

The use of coloured soap in the dispensers enhances the quality of the feeling they express through the use of colour theory. Yellow is uplifting and illuminating. It creates a sense of cheerfulness, optimism, confidence and fun. Red is a colour that stands for danger, violence, and aggression expressing fury and alertness, seeking attention. Blue represents a feeling of coldness, iciness,  and unfriendliness. It can also create feelings of aloofness, being lonely, sad, or forlorn.

Over time, the Unbottles become visual receptacles of data as people pump soap and the level of liquid reduces. The more a dispenser is used, the more that type of feeling is being experienced. The choice of dispensers is kept to three, to make the experience less overwhelming and intimidating. They are unlabelled to allow users to associate them with any of the spectrum of feelings that they might be feeling.