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- Title of Abstract:
Clothed mindscape of memories (Ref #153)
- Date:
- 05-10-2006 08:40:42
- Status:
-
Accepted with revisions
- Rating:
- 7
-
Details:
- Handmade clothes are remembered: wearing a pullover knitted specially for you is an experience deeply touching. The aim of this paper is to discuss memories of clothing, in the context of craft.
In order to understand the nature of clothing memories, the prospect-refuge -theory presented by geographer Appleton (1975, 1988) is applied. Appleton has elaborated his extending theory for landscape assessment. The central idea is that human environments are assessed in terms of the opportunities they afford for observation and for being observed. Where one has an unimpeded opportunity to see and observe is called a prospect; where an opportunity to hide, a refuge. (Appleton 1975, 1988; Crozier 1994) In addition environments always contain hazards as a threat to seeing and hiding possibilities. Crozier (1994, 17-19) has pointed out that need for prospect and refuge can be fulfilled at a symbolic level and metaphorically. In this paper, Appleton?s concepts are understood as a means of regulating one?s relation to clothing environment metaphorically; landscape is turned into mindscape.
The data consists of written stories on clothing memories (N=50) and favorite clothing (N= 75). The texts are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. In this paper, the contents of the concepts of Appleton?s theory are discussed in relation to craft.
The memories of handmade clothing involve strongly mixed emotions: a part of descriptions are full of pride and pleasure, while others describe feelings of shame and inferiority. Craft as such affords sense of prospect, either positive or negative. The mixed emotions point out also the characteristics of hazard craft includes: the process is always somewhat unpredictable, in terms of outcome. The contents of memories suggest that the hazard ?effect? includes human relations. The outcome is not merely a physical object, but a representation of mother?s love and care for her daughter, for example.
The memories of clothing crafted for one self show that craft provides a possibility for affirming sense of continuity with one?s self-experience. The production process is also a powerful medium for improving one?s environment to a direction desired: towards a sense of prospect, refuge - or more hazards. Essetial is the sense of controlling the outcome, both external and internal. Actual outcome acts as a storage and retrieval of information on emotions; mindscape containing elements reflecting self-experience. The landscape metaphor stresses the fundamental tendency towards continuity of self-experience.
References
Appleton, J. 1975. The Experience of Landscape. London: John Wiley & Sons.
Appleton, J. 1988. Prospects and Refuges Revisited. In Nasar, J.L (ed.) Environmental Aesthetics. Theory, Research and Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 27-44.
Crozier, R. 1994. Manufactured Pleasures. Psychological Responses to Design. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
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