Abstract
Mrs. H. (40) is a dentist and married to Mr. H (45), who works as a recreation educator. They have two kids and live in a modern townhouse. Between 1983 and 1985 they were visited by design theorist Gert Selle and his co-author Jutta Boehne who wanted to get an impression of their living culture while they were working on their book Leben mit den schönen Dingen. Anpassung und Eigensinn im Alltag des Wohnens (Living with Nice Objects. Adaption and Stubbornness in Everyday Living)(1986). Selle and Boehe study the disappearance of things in use.123 Their book was written under the influence of the German translation of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological classic Distinction: a Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste (1982).124
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References
- 123.Cf. Selle/ Boehe (1986: 53)Google Scholar
- 124.Cf. Selle (1993: 13)Google Scholar
- 125.Cf. Selle/ Boehe (1986: 255)Google Scholar
- 126.Ibid., p. 54. Walker (1989: 174) points out that it is problematic that design is often given short shrift in sociological studies. Walker also claims that design theorists could learn tolerance and respect for the tastes of others from anthropologists. Selle (1993: 13) laments that his efforts did not have any effect on design theory and that his book was not read enough. According to him, there is thus no design theory “referring to the empirical and theoretical analyses of the change of social structures and thus on the history of the conscious and unconscious use of design.“Google Scholar
- 127.Ibid., p. 55Google Scholar
- 129.In archaic societies it is common that men and women use everyday objects that represent their sex. For instance, a stool used by a man looks very different from one used by a woman. The gender-specific differences are also very much an issue in discussions on ergonomic aspects of design, since woman actually sit differently than men. The example here, however, revolves around the symbolic delineation function of everyday objects Selle/Boehe are interested in explaining the function of life tools. This includes their actual use function, their social function based on their delineation and recognition function, as well as the ownership and recollection function of the design. Cf. Selle/ Boehe (1986: 40)Google Scholar