What I explore in the project is supposed to be discussed within the context of material culture.
At the last tutorial before the submission, my tutor mentioned the concept of material culture based on what we talked about. I then did some research on material culture, finding that it provides a foundation for my project. When it comes to the cultural significance of merchandise, the project can be related to and strongly supported by the concept of material culture.
“Material culture studies focus on how people and things interact.”
Here are some notes which were taken when reading about material culture:
2 aspects of culture: Material and Nonmaterial.
Material refers to ‘the aspect of social reality grounded in the objects and architecture that surround people’, including activities around objects and behaviors which the objects create or are involved in. While an object starts off as simply a physical item, over time it comes to represent nonmaterial and symbolic aspects of a culture.
The way material objects hold meaning and value is by reflecting on people’s meaning and value and carrying communication between people
Material culture studies focus on how people and things interact.
Understanding how we interact with our material world can reveal unparalleled insights into what it is to be human.
Studies of material culture focus upon things not just as material objects, but also on how they reflect our meanings and uses. At the core of material culture studies is the question of how people and things interact.
The way material objects hold meaning and value is by reflecting people’s meaning and value and carrying communication between people across time and space.
In terms of my project, it is the interaction and communication between merchandise and its audience that will be discussed. Being it simply putting a name or images of a brand on it, how does merchandise start off as a physical item with promotional function come to represent the non-materialistic and symbolic aspects of a culture?