Date of Award
Spring 5-22-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master in Interior Architecture [Adaptive Reuse]
Department
Interior Architecture
First Advisor
Markus Berger
Second Advisor
Sara Ossana
Abstract
Discarded fibers like raw wool behave the way harm reduction does. Harm reduction resists stigma and works to move beyond assumptions and oversimplifications of substance use and addiction. Wool is irregular, complicated, and emotionally charged. It resists compression and maintains its own being even when pulled apart. Working with raw wool is in relationship with complexity, as is harm reduction.
At its core, harm reduction is grounded in thoughtfulness and empathy towards people, their lived experience, and its nuances. It is a witness to lives, memories, and imprints, acknowledging the entangled realities of addiction. Our detachment from fiber remainders, materials we see as no longer holding value, and social remainders, people and communities we see as flawed, are deeply connected, yet rarely in conversation with one another.
What happens when they are?
Care ecologies between knots engages harm reduction and relational care through discarded fibers, inhabitable space, and communal experience. Within experiential, embodied encounters, slant entry points take form, allowing conversations around (opioid) substance use disorder and harm reduction to emerge in spaces that may feel unrelated, unfamiliar, or highly stigmatized.
The convergence of embodied practice, scientific analysis, and community knowledge reveals how attentive engagement with materials can foster collective reflection and relationships grounded in care. Harm reduction is about love and meeting people where they are. The material holds this practice.
Recommended Citation
Marris, Eliza R., "care ecologies between knots" (2026). Masters Theses. 1566.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1566
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Environmental Design Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Health Policy Commons, Interior Architecture Commons, Interior Design Commons, Other Philosophy Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Poetry Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Welfare Commons, Theory and Philosophy Commons