Utility Pets is my first project that used a “Critical Design” methodology and was initially developed as part of my MA thesis in Design Products at RCA. Over the years, the project has gained national and international interest, and received funding for further development from Fundación Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo de Sevilla.

The project explored the ethical consequences of xenotransplantation – the transplantation of animal organs into humans. As part of my research, I developed a narrative-based approach to explore a hypothetical future scenario where shortly after birth, people will be given a piglet with their own DNA engineered into it. The pig, known as a ‘knockout’ pig in the scientific jargon, is a form of living insurance policy – an organ bank. This project explored what kind of new design objects might be needed if the pig lived in the home with its owner’s family.