“Open” and “Closed” Homes: Sustainability and the Aesthetic Ecologies of Things

Florencia Muñoz, Tomás Errázuriz, Ricardo Greene

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between the aesthetic ecologies of homes in different socioeconomic sectors, and their disposition towards conserving or discarding objects. More specifically, it analyses how domestic practices, the ways homes are produced and maintained, can impinge on a greater or lesser propensity towards sustainable forms of life. Based on qualitative work carried out in homes of upper and working classes in the city of Santiago, Chile, we distinguish three relevant dimensions that would explain such tendency: materiality, functionality, and temporality. Whereas upper class homes are characterised by more “closed” and restricted ecologies, that strongly resist sustainable practices, working class homes present a more open aesthetics ecologies, with lineal temporalities and multifunctional spaces that explain to a great extent their propensity towards the coexistence of diverse materials and objects.

Original languageEnglish
JournalHome Cultures
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Keywords

  • class cultures
  • domestic space
  • home possession
  • material culture
  • sustainability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Cultural Studies
  • Visual Arts and Performing Arts

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