Mnemonic textiles: Sustaining life-long attachment

Abstract

Mnemonic attachment to material artefacts and the subsequent effect upon object longevity is the focus of this research. The relationship between an owner and a mnemonically encoded object relates to self, family and cultural identity. These connections can result in the object’s preservation and care beyond that typically given to more neutral possessions. A greater understanding of the qualities and creation of mnemonic objects, through the lens of textile artefacts, can therefore impart new ways of considering the design of long-lasting and sustainable items. The theory of Emotionally Durable Design developed by Jonathan Chapman (2005) is the key framework for the research and provides context for comparison and a place to expand upon the value of emotional relationships with possessions. Violette Morin’s L'Objet Biographique (1969) and Winnicott’s Transitional Object (1984) offer further background to Western experiences of emotionally driven relationships with material culture. Narrative inquiry underpins an integrated methodological approach: practice-based studio research; a self-reflexivity practice; and an interview program, to convey the story-like mode we instinctively adopt to retell our memories. The first phase of the studio work, Topography of Memory explores the act of embedding personal memory into cloth. The interview series with six Australian textile practitioners investigates personal relationships with mnemonic textiles. The second stage of the studio research, alongside two case studies, offers four recommendations for a mnemonically driven design practice - Engagement and Co-production, Empathy, Physical and Emotional Longevity and Ambiguity and Adaptability. This research has taken place at a time when environmental imperatives invite us to form more enduring and sustainable relationships with our surroundings. The study explores one aspect of this continuity, that of the embodiment of memory through material and the consequences for sustaining both identity and objects. This research argues that existing sustainable design methodologies cannot focus only upon the physical longevity of an object. By incorporating and encouraging mnemonic association through a sustainable design practice, we can decrease the likelihood of object obsolescence and avoidable waste.