LAPJUICER (with Philip Worthington), 2005
Royal College of Art, one-week brief: Redesign a food processor
The performer uses their body, with the object, in order to extract fruit juices that can be mixed into cocktails in the glass below, and then drunk by one or more spectators.
The Lapjuicer embodies a step beyond the strict look but don’t touch policies enforced in many clubs: "You can’t touch: but you can drink my juice".
"The lap juicer has been accused of being sexist – but we don't think it is. It’s sexual, yes: it’s clearly a sexual object, but we’ve never made any claim that it’s especially designed for either a woman or a man to use, and we’ve had male and female models demonstrate it for photo-shoots and live events. The most publicised picture of the Lapjuicer doesn’t even have a person in it at all.
The lap juicer has been accused of being disgusting – but we don't think it is. The object itself is rather clinical: constructed from white plastic, stainless steel, and glass. The Lapjuicer employs the sterile aesthetic of the surgical apparatus. Any disgust then, could be argued to emerge from the imagining of the object’s use, rather than from any specific aspect of it’s visual appearance. If you can’t imagine it in use then you can’t find it disgusting. It’s only disgusting in your mind’s eye. It’s not disgusting – you are… This is what we love about the Lapjuicer.
The lap juicer has been labelled a product – but we don't think it is. We don’t want to see a lapjuicer in every massage parlour and strip-club across the land, being ground against by dancers who'd probably rather be somewhere else. It’s not designed for mass production: it’s not a response to a market need. The lap juicer is designed to be provocative, to elicit a reaction in those who can imagine it’s use, and – ultimately – just to make people laugh.
"(Theo Humphries, 2006)
Initially a seven day project that resulted in a prototype model in Autumn 2003, this project was revisited in Spring 2005 when the V&A showed interest.
In 2005 a lapjuicer was on exhibit in The Victoria & Albert Museum, London, between June 16th and August 29th. It was be part of an exhibition entitled Touch Me.
In 2006 the Museum of Sex on 5th Avenue, New York, purchased a lapjuicer for an exhibition entitled 'Sex in Design/Design in Sex'. That lapjuicer is now part of the museum's permanent collection.
The Lapjuicer was also demonstrated at the Royal College of Art Postgradtuate Degree Show, June 2005.
The Lapjuicer has featured in several books:
BUCQUOYE, M. E. & VAN DEN STORM (eds.), D., 2009. Forms for Pleasure (Design Today). Belgium: Stichting Kunstboek BVBA. ISBN 13: 978-9058562371
WONG, K. (ed.), 2007. [Art]ifact: Re-Recognizing the Essentials of Products. Hong Kong: Victionary. ISBN 13: 978-9889822866
KLANTEN, R. & HELLIGE, H (eds.), 2006. All Allure. Germany: Gestalten Verlag. ISBN 13: 978-3899551006
The Lapjuicer has also feature in numerous magazines including: Design Week, Stuff, FHM, Arena, Maxim, and Slitz
”This is Perhaps the Most Disgusting Device Ever Created.” boyswearpants.blogspot.com
”[It’s] in-your-face: unlikely to be daunted by any context" John Stones, Design Week Magazine.
”Sexiest juicer in the galaxy.” we-make-money-not-art.com
”It’s half art, half design, half social commentary, and I fucking love it.” listsanddiagrams.com
”I can’t decide if this is the best idea ever, or if its just too gross to think about drinking fresh squeezed juice mixed in with some ass sweat of a stripper named Candy. shudder.” flauntingit.com
”I don’t know if there is such thing as a freshly squeezed juice fetish: but I know that on days that I am seriously hung over, there is comfort in imagining that there is” J. Martinez, fleshbot.com
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