A laboratory of forgotten objects.
BISU is a Service Blueprint and platform designed to revitalize neglected objects, foster intergenerational connections and stories.
Through BISU elderly individuals can explore and reimagine their possessions with the help of young creatives and local organizations, documenting their stories in the process.
This initiative is rooted in an investigation into the cultural significance of heirlooms, object accumulation, and post-loss "tidying up" rituals.
While valuable heirlooms have a predifined space in our lives, objects with sentimental value but no economic one will get discarded or forgotten.
BISU aims to give new life to these artifacts, repurposing them for continued appreciation within the owner's home or for gifting to others.
Four categories for objects.
The research for my thesis project starts from the concept of heirloom, accumulation of object, rituals of "tidying up" after a loss.
â
The results of my inquisition is a service thought around forgotten objects, their stories, and human creativity and relationships.
The service helps elderly get creative with their accumulated and forgotten objects, while involving young creatives and local associations in giving life to their stories, meanwhile creating and archiving new ones.
Crafting artifacts can help us build a link to a lost identity through ancient passed-down rituals.
Discarded items serve as reflections of our former selves.
Memorabilia are cherished for their evocative qualities, allowing us to revisit the past and reconnect with previous versions of ourselves and of the artifact. This quality makes a common object valuable.
Objects engage in a dynamic interplay of commodification and decommodification within and around our living spaces. They are constantly repositioned, stored, concealed, and repurposed according to their meaning.
The decision of whom and how to pass down our possessions shapes and defines familial relationships, reflecting values and priorities within the family unit.
Interviewing inheritance experts
Archive
%402x%20(2).svg){kind=icon}
In initiating the project, I conducted research on designers and artists exploring paraphernalia, memories, and spatial dynamics.
This encompassed studies such as "Technology Heirlooms," which delves into the realm of digital and pictorial legacies, and "Inheritance" by Andrea Tese, recounting the poignant narrative of familial reminiscence. In contrast, projects like "Memorabilia Factory" by Bold Design offer a departure from traditional object heritage, instead focusing on the creation of personalized mementos while still preserving memories.
The aim of my project evolved into developing a new economy of repurposing objects, fostering new rituals around heirlooms and provoke meaningful conversations among individuals so that artifacts can purposefully keep living with us. Â
This involves transforming industrial products that have outlived their original use at home to be transformed into a non-recycled product, rethought and tailor-made for the elderly or for gift-giving.
â
It is important to reflect on what we leave behind and how we leave it, not only from a relational point of view, but also from an ecological point of view.In order to intervene, we need to pick up the item before it is put back on the market and the consequential loss of sentimental value.
The service process takes place roughly like this:
- the elderly learns about the service through advertising
- they gives us a call
- a student and the elder meet
- drafts and examination of feasibility of the project
- iterative meetings during the production of the object, together or apart.
- Once the item is finished, the elder can take it home or decide whether to donate it to someone.
Inheriting isn't just a familial, it touches communities and collective memories that's why I wanted to create a digital archive, whose function is to create a city commune memory that preserves the stories and photos of citizens, who will see their "before and after" projects on the site.
.png)
Through this collaborative effort, individuals can engage with various professionals in the creative community, such as those affiliated with Fablab, Manu, Vetroricerca, and other independent artisans in Bolzano. This collaborative network is not only helpful on a material level, but also on a social one, giving new possibilities of socializations both professionally and more casually for the elderly.
Testing the system
with real people.
I tried this system twice with two separate elderlies, who volountarly gave me their objects to work with.
Testing
Michela was a 70-year-old woman who asked me to repurpose her old perfume bottles that she had kept around the house but didnât want to throw away.
Unfortunately, Michela didnât have any family members to pass a new artifact to, so we decided to create something personalized for her.
I first designed, then revised, and finally crafted a necklace and earrings using the original shapes of the perfume bottles. She started wearing them, amused by the lingering scent of perfume that could still be detected.
Gina contacted me through her niece to refurbish a worn-out spatula she loves using for making sweets. Since the cooking tool has been in her family for generations, she wanted to pass it on to her daughter along with some "centrini," traditional Italian embroidered tablecloths. However, her daughter didnât share the same appreciation for the latter. So, I attempted to incorporate the pattern of the "centrini" into a new handle for the spatula.
This precious object now has a new history that I am a part of, and it continues to be used and passed down in the family.
.jpg)
.jpg)
BISU is a service that highlights connections between individuals and their belongings, underscoring the importance of preserving memories and fostering community engagement.
Looking forward, the next steps for BISU involve a concerted effort to enhance the Service system through iterative research, building an official website and opening up the project as an open-source community system that can be adapted by different no-profits.
This includes refining the service process based on user feedback, streamlining communication channels between participants, and leveraging technology to optimize project management and archival processes.
BISUÂ has clear opportunities to develop through strategic partnerships with local associations, artisans, and creative communities. By scaling the service and broadening its impact, BISU can not only empower individuals to repurpose their possessions but also contribute to a more sustainable and interconnected society.
