Date of Award
Spring 6-4-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Industrial Design
Department
Industrial Design
First Advisor
Tom Weis
Second Advisor
Ayako Maruyama
Third Advisor
Ian Chillag
Abstract
We constantly fall into a cycle of consumption that involves acquiring, retaining, and relinquishing items, whether we need them or not. Even though we are influenced by popular media to declutter more as we acquire new things, the root of the problem will still exist if we continue to neglect the reasons why we own things in the first place and why we hold onto them.
Why is it less stressful to make a list of possessions we enjoy having than to make a list of things we need to throw away?
This thesis hopes to relieve people of making tough decisions like when to relinquish things that are difficult to give up, understanding that it’s more effective to control the urge to acquire things when we know what to value.
To accomplish these goals, I designed a series of light-hearted, non-judgemental conversations to explore the ways that stories develop through objects and so that people could reacquaint themselves with their belongings. To facilitate these conversations, I invited people to take part in a series of workshops where participants reflected on their own values from the perspectives of their belongings.
Recommended Citation
Chao, Megan Tzu-Hsien, "Memories unboxed: connecting people with stories of our possessions" (2022). Masters Theses. 913.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/913
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Comments
View exhibition online: Megan (Tzu-Hsien) Chao, Memories UNBOXED