Chindogu
Chindogu is the Japanese art of making unuseless inventions, like shoes with umbrellas. The shoes will keep your feet dry but they are also an absurdity. Chindogu results in useful inventions that are also absurd and surreal and might get you more than a second look. Think socks that are also mops and butter conveniently packaged as roll-on sticks. The inventions may seem silly but serve a real purpose.
According to Kenji Kawakami, a practitioner of the art, there are 10 tenets of Chindogu.
- A physical prototype must be made
- Inventions cannot be made for real use but paradoxically could be a tool for real life.
- Inventions should be funny.
- Humour however cannot be the only reason for creating the object. It must have a purpose that no one in their right mind would use it for.
- Inventions should contain the spirit of anarchy, be counter culture or poke fun at dominant culture
- Items are not for sale
- Chindogu is not propaganda.
- Inventions are never taboo in nature.
- Inventions cannot be patented.
- Chindogu must be free of prejudice.