Furnishing a narrative : [an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand]

Abstract

‘Furnishing a Narrative’ is a contribution to the philosophy of furniture. The research employs a materially developed approach to philosophical exploration articulated in a particularly poetic guise. The philosophical texts of Gaston Bachelard are physically manifested in the form of 1:1 material makings, with Bachelard’s ‘Nests’ providing (or furnishing) the theoretical underpinning for this project, the first thread in binding its structure.As key concepts, ‘inhabitation’, ‘furnishing’, ‘trace’ and ‘memory’ are reflected upon collectively to construct an interrogation of the interior. These concepts speak to the phenomenology of the home, commenting on presence and absence, or rather presence in absence.