Vanamie Art and Info Blog

A few days ago I've written about the art*o*matic, an automatic cheap art vendor. Well, what if this experience went further? What if, instead of selling and buying, we would be exchanging?
Swap-o-matic is all about that: exchanging, trading, instead of buying. Giving away objects to acquire new ones, and discovering the possibilities of such a "mini-market". The system of exchange credits is 1-for-1, (you get one credit for every given item and each item "costs" one credit), so frequent participation is encouraged. There is also a rating system that prevents donating bad or unuseable items.
The designer, Lina Fenequito, seems very enthusiastic about this project, which is her thesis project in Design and Technology graduate studies:

The Swap-O-Matic is intended to be both a solution and critical response to the gluttonous culture that we live in today. Its core function to support the reuse and recycling of consumer products through swapping among participants.

So far, there are about 70 participants ("swappers"). They have a web page where they can see what items are currently in the machine, what were the most quickly swapped items, and the "top swappers". The items range from necklesses and shirts to a Chinese gas mask or a glue gun.

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