Growing up in a strict social hierarchy can lead to real frustration. The bottling of thoughts, biting one’s tongue regularly, and having to uphold unquestionable respect for one’s elders is what inspired young designer Yi-Fei Chen to create the Tear Gun.
It is a physical metaphor that represents Chen’s stifled frustration after an altercation with one of her tutors left her in tears. After years of suppressing emotions to avoid rudeness, Chen’s design is the literal expression of her internal struggle to speak her mind.
The Tear Gun works by catching tears under the wearer’s eye with a silicon pocket. They are then funneled into a steampunk-like brass system. A small bottle filled with dry ice fixed to the back of the pistol freezes the teardrops into solid bullets, ready to be fired into the face of authority.
"The social restrictions I faced growing up became a burden of pressure and these tears represent the explosion of frustration and anger. I tried to suppress myself for so long - not talking back, not being rude, not crying, not breaking down - but the emotions ultimately won,” Chen said.
On the most challenging aspect of the design process, Chen said, “To realize the concept and to make the design work. When I made the first drawings, the size of the design was much bigger and it became a challenge to turn it into a handy, compact gun.
Thanks to the guidance of my mentors and friends, I found the right direction to take the design in. Without their help, I would have built a more chunky and unwieldy weapon.”
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