CEMETERY OF CONSUMERISM
[Reviving the value of the object]
Prerequisite:
There is a lack of awareness of what we own and do not utilise. The theory of supernormal stimuli and consumerism has led to an excess in the amount of objects owned by individuals but not being used. There is a disconnect between our built environment and human instinct. The consequences of overconsumption have lead to environmental, practical and interpersonal issues. These objects are neglected and gathering dust. We need to share the excess as a new sustainable way of living. We need a circular way of thinking of objects so they can be repaired and shared.
At the domestic scale we need to declutter, live simply and in community whether that is physically, technologically or through sharing. At the larger scale, we need to learn to repair, share, create interact with one another in a new way to truly give value to the neglected objects and the neglected neighbourly relationships.
Site: Barton Park Development | West Barton | North Oxford
What: A repair centre at its core, acting as a central hub for sharing objects. In Post-Brexit Britain many skilled workers have become unemployed, especially through the Mini Plant closing down. Limits to trade, economic consequences and a greater awareness of the value of the object has led to an initiative to resurrect the old. To repair the neglected objects of Oxford, and to revive a lifestyle of a circular economy whilst also aiming to create more social cohesion in Barton & the rest of Oxford. The broken objects that we have can all be reused, if not for their original use then potentially for adaption. Whilst a space is created to ease the process of sharing objects, both the new and the old, the valuable and the forgotten.
Why: We live in a fast-paced culture where the idea of repairing is time-consuming but also sharing unused objects is cumbersome with no simple community-wide system. A new way of living is needed that counters consumerism by reducing the waste economy and increasing the sharing economy through architecture, and a system with circular economy principles.
Spaces Required: Central repair workshop, meeting space, play (for adults and children), sharing, interactive Storage, Café space with a shared library facility, delivery system.
Atmosphere of the spaces: A space where people can connect with the intimate scale. The repair spaces should engage people on a one-to-one basis to learn from those repairing, as well as group workshops. Playful use of heights to illustrate the functions of each space. An attractive place that has moments of awe to it; such as a grand entrance demonstrating the cemetery of consumerism. This contains ‘dead’ new objects no longer in use which people have relinquished ownership so they can be revived and shared. It will also be a point for people to meet, a communal space primarily serving the Barton community but also serving the larger context of Oxford. Where people can learn from one another, meet like-minded people who are promoting ideas of the circular economy and learn from others.
The system:
Interactive space where people learn how to declutter. Acknowledge excess and accumulation. As well as a space to bring and store neglected objects. Relinquish ownership. A one-way delivery system, where users can send their broken objects to the central repair centre through an underground (or overground) system connecting the wider Oxford context. The user then has to go to the centre to collect, to interact with others and the space.For those local, or travelling to enjoy the repair experience, a space to interact and learn how to repair.Interrogating the domestic scale: demonstrating how people engage with the project and begin a new circular way of living Where ownership of objects does not exist anymore but objects are simply accessed whenever there is a need.
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