Blooming Over Cup by Mina Wu & Jan B.

Mina Wu & Jan B.
Blooming Over Cup, 2005

Three identical porcelain cups were presented: one plain, one printed with Wu’s blue floral pattern, and one hand-painted and signed. With each step, craftsmanship and price increased. Interestingly, visitors preferred the mid-priced printed version for offering the most satisfying balance of cost and character —  showing that more labour doesn’t always translate to greater perceived value.

Blooming over cup derives from the project Value for Money, presented by Droog in Milan 2005. Visitors could indicate which product showed the best price for it’s emotional value.