Clothed Landscape of Memories

ABSTRACT

Handmade clothes are remembered: wearing a pullover knitted specially for you is a deeply touching experience. 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 extended 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. An unimpeded opportunity to see and observe is called a prospect; 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, pp.17-19) has pointed out that the 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 relationship to the clothing environment metaphorically: landscape is turned into mindscape.

The data consists of first-person accounts of experience: autobiographical memories of clothing and essays on favourite clothes. 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: some descriptions are full of pride and pleasure, while others describe feelings of shame and inferiority. Craft as such affords a sense of prospect, either positive or negative. The mixed emotions also point out the characteristics of hazard that 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 parental love, for example.

The memories of clothing crafted for oneself show that craft provides a possibility for affirming a sense of continuity with one's self-experience. The production process is also a powerful medium for improving one's environment in a direction desired: towards a sense of prospect, refuge - or more hazards. The mindscape of crafted clothes is built with strong emotions and experiences of making and people entangled in the processes, as well as with an understanding of self-identity.

KEYWORDS:

• craft
• memories
• clothing and experience

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anna-Mari Raunio

BIOGRAPHY

Anna-Mari Raunio, MEd, is working as a lecturer at the University of Joensuu on the Master's program in craft design, which is funded by the European Social Fund. Her area of teaching includes research methodology in craft design studies and the theoretical basis of craft projects. Her research interest is in clothing, in particular investigating clothing as a human environment.