Intangible Goods is the guilt free vending machine you should know about.
We are told to never eat our emotions, but boy do vending machines make it easy. While they are usually full of chips, chocolates, lollies and everything else we shouldn’t eat, this Sydney-made vending machine is dispensing some much needed emotional assistance. Offering the masses snack-sized treats of psychological support and advice, Intangible Goods is the brainchild of local artists Elizabeth Commandeur and Mark Starmach.
Bravery, connection, imagination, structure, chill, purpose. These are just some of the intangible things that we all strive to find and achieve. But now, the Intangible Goods vending machine popping up around Sydney is getting everyone a little closer to self-fulfilment. The machine made its first public appearance this March in the CBD as part of the City of Sydney’s Art and About showcase.
Opposed to the calorie-packed treats that usually fill vending machines, the Intangible Goods machine is stocked with artisanal packets to feed your mental well-being. So how do you get some of this well-being fuel? Simply pop in between $2-$5 and out comes a package proven to help boost your own mental health.
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Handcrafted by Commandeur and Starmach, the 10 packages include everything from brain-fuelling activities like origami and games, to heart-warming material that hopes to remind you why life is special. Each package has its own theme. The Friendship pack encourages you to rekindle old relationships with 10 days worth of activities. Bravery forces you to comfort what you loathe and love about yourself. The open-ended Imagination simply gifts partakers with a pencil to let their creativity run wild.
With experience in a variety of creative and corporate sectors, Commandeur and Starmach have created an assortment of goods aimed at curving the alarming prevalence of mental health disorders in the wider community. Part of the proceeds from the vending machine support different mental health foundations.
Operating out of their apartment, the DIY project is fast-becoming a mainstay in Sydney’s immersive art scene. It’s currently at the Parramatta Lanes Festival which is on between 9th – 12th October.
To see where they’re popping up next click here.