We had a project that called for creating an object that is gratifying to handle. I had done some tactile research and photographically documented over one hundred objects of various size, shape, and texture. The most gratifying tactile experiences for me were instances where a large number of small objects were moved with the hand, like putting your hand in a large bag of rice or coffee beans. I tried to think of a good way to turn this experience into one that was contained, rather than immersive, and went with a non-Newtonian fluid (specifically, corn starch and water) in a double-layer of latex. This type of fluid changes stiffness in response to applied stress, so it acts very fluid without interference, but if struck or squeezed, the material turns hard or highly viscous. It was gratifying to handle, but seemed underwhelming. I converted the plain ball into a fictional food named the Joijoiberry Fruit, made several, and packaged them. The multiplicity of strange objects in a familiar packaging rounded out a story and seemed to invite the need to discover the feel of a joijoiberry fruit.
