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Aesthetics and Politics of RepairLecture | Vortrag Practices of repair are always rooted in necessity. This is not only true for times past – before capitalist consumer culture fell in love with the idea that buying a new item was a better alternative than repair. It is probably even truer for a present tired of the effects this idea had: cheap low-quality products made for single use, zillions of tons of waste, and no escape from the vicious circles in which both the latter are neatly intertwined. Moreover, if it’s rather the reasons underlying the urge of necessity that have changed, this applies anyway only for some (un)happy few. At the same time, while the urge of necessity fueling the desire for repair in the first instance seems to be driven by rather functional aspects (i.e. to be able to use an item for a longer period, to keep with it instead of giving it up and/or exchange it), it turns out that aesthetics likewise play a major role, and they do so in many different dimensions. Not that this would come as a surprise. But as they are part of the reasons underlying the urge of necessity, and thus of influence for practices of repair resulting from the latter, it should be worth to take a closer look at their outcome. As we will see, the latter will also tell us a lot not only about aesthetics and politics of repair in general – but also more specifically about repair and/as practice(s) of material participation. Hintergrundinformationen | Background Information: Projekt "A2D2A" auf www.under-construction.cc | Project "A2D2A" at www.under-construction.cc Forschungsschwerpunkt Do It Yourself-Kulturen auf www.under-construction.cc | research focus Do It Yourself Cultures at www.under-construction.cc Forschungsschwerpunkt Kulturen der Nachhaltigkeit auf www.under-construction.cc | research focus Cultures of Sustainability at www.under-construction.cc projects: A2D2A, D.I.Y. CULTURES, Knowledge of Tools - Tools of Knowledge, Prosumer Cultures, RE/CYCLING INVENTION, Cultures of Sustainability, TOYS AND/AS TOOLS mainprojects: D.I.Y. CULTURES, TOYS AND/AS TOOLS |