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Posts from the ‘Consumption’ Category

Dec 6

CFP: Sustainability in Practice: DIY Repair, Reuse and Innovation

Check out this call for papers for an promising meeting to be held at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu.

Conference call for papers

Sustainability in Practice: DIY Repair, Reuse and Innovation
30 October – 2 November 2024
Estonian National Museum, Tartu, Estonia

This conference addresses ecological sustainability through do it yourself (DIY) practices, and through consumer behaviour. The focus on DIY repair, reuse and vernacular innovation seeks to examine sustainability in the context of everyday life and domestic and community settings. By bringing together ethnological, anthropological, sociological and craft studies perspectives, the conference aims to show and discuss contemporary, traditional and vernacular sustainable practices.

Repair, reuse and repurpose of diverse commodities and materials, and vernacular innovation, are today increasingly perceived as part of sustainable consumption culture. However, the role and meaning of these practices have changed over time, depending on social, economic and political environments. Facing the global climate crisis, we are looking for lessons from the past and present for more sustainable and resilient ways of life.

We invite presentations, workshops and documentaries that explore various forms of DIY practice, solution, innovation and material culture related to sustainability in a variety of settings and regions. Apart from academics, experts from memory institutions and craft scholars, this conference also invites activists, craftsmen and designers to share their experience and knowledge.

See the conference call for papers.

The conference is being organised by the Estonian National Museum in collaboration with the Washing Machine Made of Beetroot joint exhibition project, curated by the Estonian Road Museum, the Estonian Agricultural Museum, and the Tartu City Museum. The conference and the exhibition are part of and supported by the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 programme.

Conference webpage and info: http://enmconferences.ee/sustainability-2024

Jan 14

Material Culture Journalism, 7

The Material Culture students do not know about Material Culture Journalism yet. Maybe this week I’ll mention it to them. Day one was surely an overload as it was…

“450-Year-Old Painting Contains Over 100 Proverbs We Still Use Today” by Jessica Stewart on My Modern Met. (HT/BKG) https://mymodernmet.com/dutch-proverbs-pieter-bruegel #paremiology

“The Era of Easy Recycling Coming to an End” by Maggie Koerth-Baker for FiveThirtyEight. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-era-of-easy-recycling-may-be-coming-to-an-end/ #waste

“China’s Destructive Laser Rifle has a Half-Mile Range” by Jefrey Lin and P.W. Singer for Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/china-laser-rifle-energy-weapon #conflict

“Never mind killer robots—here are six real AI dangers to watch out for in 2019” by Will Knight and Karen Has for MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612689/never-mind-killer-robotshere-are-six-real-ai-dangers-to-watch-out-for-in-2019/ #threats

“Persian Traditional Crafts: Traditional Bookbinding” on YouTube (Seen First on on Facebook). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgQ-x-1hRQ4&vl=en #handcraft

“The Poor Can’t Afford Not to Wear Nice Clothes” by Tressie McMillan Cottom in Medium. (HT/RG) https://medium.com/s/story/the-poor-cant-afford-not-to-wear-nice-clothes-b015f6a79561 #racism #class #inequality

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Jan 9

Material Culture Journalism, 6

The new year has promoted a lot of material culture journalism related to lifestyle changes and consumption habits. Some of the items here fit into this frame, including older stores being recirculated on social media.

“The Norwegian Art of the Packed Lunch” by Zaria Gorvett for BBC. http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190103-the-norwegian-art-of-the-packed-lunch #foodways #work

“210-Foot Fatberg Blocks Sewers of English Seaside Town” by Iliana Magra in the New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/world/europe/uk-fatberg-sidmouth.html #infrastructure #consumption #habits

“The Mysterious, Stubborn Appeal of Mass-Produced Fried Chicken. Why do so many accomplished chefs call Popeyes their favorite fried chicken?” by Adam Clair for Vice. https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/8xppqv/the-mysterious-stubborn-appeal-of-mass-produced-fried-chicken #foodways #industrialprocess

“The Unbearable Heaviness of Clutter. A cluttered home can be a stressful home, researchers are learning” by Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi for New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/well/mind/clutter-stress-procrastination-psychology.html #consumption #psychology

“The Economics of Tidying Up” by Bourree Lam for The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/an-economist-reads-marie-kondo/392921/ #consumption #economics

“What We Gain from Keeping Books – and why it Doesn’t Need to be ‘Joy’” by Anakana Schofield for The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/07/what-we-gain-from-keeping-books-and-why-it-doesnt-need-to-be-joy-marie-kondo #consumption #culture

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Dec 15

Material Culture Journalism, 1

Happily, next month I will again teach a graduate course in material culture studies at Indiana University. In that context I will be even more interested than usual in finding and sharing journalism of possible relevance. Every so often, I will probably share some links for the benefit of any interested friends, colleagues, and students in the course. If you see a good story, share the link in the comments.

“Why do all new apartment buildings look the same? The bland, boxy apartment boom is a design issue, and a housing policy problem“ by Patrick Sisson at Curbed. #architecture

“I used all the best stuff for a week and it nearly broke me. Living like a fancy millennial was wonderful, until it wasn’t“ by Rebecca Jennings at Vox. #consumption

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