By Our Houses You Will Know Us: Sheltering in Place
Walk with me...lots on my mind these days.
My favorite Project Archaeology lesson is the ice breaker where we ask students to draw a picture of an artifact from their home and share what that object says about you and those who live with you (Letts and Moe 2009). As the students present their object, we make a "Museum of Us" on the wall from the drawn on post-it notes. I love hearing the array of objects and we truly learn so much by hearing the story of the object, and the student's association with it, that names are easily remembered from that point on. Then we introduce the topic of our unit, Investigating Shelter! And deliberate over the meaning of the Kickapoo saying: "By our houses you will know us (Nobokov and Easton 1989)."
The object I try to draw each time is of a quilt that hangs in my house. It's a quilt made from eyepatches worn by my mother, Janet Trever, after she passed away from cancer. I sometimes use this quilt as a backdrop for online conference calls and meetings, and to date only one person has ever asked me what that object was hanging on the wall behind me (thanks Brandon!).
I love this activity, because isn't it always true that you learn something more about your friends and people you've known forever by entering their home? It's always a surprise, from the curbside view, to the decorations on their walls, and especially the objects curated in their home that tell the story of those that live in this place.
This is a wonderful point of departure to talk about archaeology and all we can understand about people who lived in past ruins by scientific inquiry into the objects they left behind.
But what now? What will be lost during this pause when no one is coming over, getting to better know us? What information will be lost during this isolation? What information can we gain?
It is notable that we are actually seeing more of each other's shelters than any other time of our collective online culture. It's unprecedented to share this very intimate side of ourselves and the wide variety of activities that now take place in our home.
Case in point:
I think it's a great thing that we are opening up our homes more for others to better know us. It's really the most human thing we can do to share the personal views into our own shelter. Pause a second and observe, infer. What objects do you see? What meaning do you infer from objects you observe? Are you correct? Ask your friends and co-workers what is in the background, ask them to show & tell what object is screaming to you from their background. What will you find out about this object, about this person, their culture, when you ask? On the lighter side, try planting a prop just to see if someone will call you out on it.
And while we're walking, I've been thinking a lot about another favorite book of archaeologists, David Macaulay's Motel of the Mysteries. This book supposes that archaeologists find Las Vegas in the year 4022 and wild interpretations of meaning from objects ensue. Keep in mind this book came out in 1979. How much has American culture really changed since then? What is already outdated? Going back to our online conferencing contemporary examples, what will future archaeologists think of our skype studios? How will historians use images from the Library of Congress 2020 collection to understand what life during Covid-19 was like?
The idea of all the sacred objects in the bathroom has always seemed absurd. But just focusing on labeled artifact #5, the sacred parchment, it's an amazing time to be alive when toilet paper has risen to the level of an icon for this decade. Sacred parchment is now no longer that far off from its 4022 interpretation. The iconic status of toilet paper is further brilliantly presented in images posted by fellow archaeologist Bernard Means of 3d printed tiny toilet paper rolls, and a step further showing furrows planted to harvest next year. It's enough to imagine what archaeologists will make of toilet paper in 4022, what are they going to think of the 3d facsimiles? What do these objects tell about they people who made them (my own inference that Bernard is so smart and ahead of his time)? And what other objects from this time will be wildly misconstrued?
I challenge you to use the objects in your shelter to communicate something important about yourself in your new curated space. Take this opportunity for others get to better know you when proximity is now a rarified experience. Dar Williams in her new book What I Found in a Thousand Towns says the essential key to tight knit communities is not shared ideology, but proximity. How can we stay close and care about one another during a time of social distancing? And how to care more about others when it's vital to our #flattenthecurve survival?
Here I am, in new normal ice breaker mode, modeling good behavior. What objects do you observe (quilt, dog, globe)? What activities and behavior can you infer? When was this picture taken? Why was this picture taken (note the yoga mat)? How will the meaning of this snap shot change in the future when someone learns the date is March 27, 2020?
So much to explore in this new worldwide exhibit on the "Museum of Us."
PS just for fun, found this online interpretation "reading" of Motel of the Mysteries- enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uapRUeZSVaY
Text: Sarah Miller, FPAN staff
Images: Museum of Us and Eyepatch Quilt, Sarah Miller; Motel of the Mysteries illustrations by David Macaulay; 3d toilet paper Bernard Means via Virtual Curation Lab Instagram account.
References Cited
Cali A. Letts and Jeanne M. Moe, Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter, Bozeman: Montana State University, 2009.
Peter Nobokov and Robert Easton Native American Architecture, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, page 11.
David Macauley, Motel of the Mysteries, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1979.
Bernard Means, Virtual Curation Lab Instagram account, Electronic Resource viewed on March 27, 2020: https://www.instagram.com/virtualcurationlab/, 2020.
Sarah Miller and Janet Trever, "The Eyepatch Quilt" Electronic resource viewed on March 27, 2020: Beautiful Burden blog http://abeautifulburden.blogspot.com/, 2011.
And I cut this part but think it's vital you check out:
Joshua Becker "7 Important Reasons to Unplug, Find Space, and Fight Technology Addiction" Electronic resource viewed on March 27, 2020: Becoming Minimalist https://www.becomingminimalist.com/unplug-please/, 2016.
My favorite Project Archaeology lesson is the ice breaker where we ask students to draw a picture of an artifact from their home and share what that object says about you and those who live with you (Letts and Moe 2009). As the students present their object, we make a "Museum of Us" on the wall from the drawn on post-it notes. I love hearing the array of objects and we truly learn so much by hearing the story of the object, and the student's association with it, that names are easily remembered from that point on. Then we introduce the topic of our unit, Investigating Shelter! And deliberate over the meaning of the Kickapoo saying: "By our houses you will know us (Nobokov and Easton 1989)."
 |
| Check it out! Photo from 2012 workshop and you can see my attempted drawing of quilt in the upper left! |
The object I try to draw each time is of a quilt that hangs in my house. It's a quilt made from eyepatches worn by my mother, Janet Trever, after she passed away from cancer. I sometimes use this quilt as a backdrop for online conference calls and meetings, and to date only one person has ever asked me what that object was hanging on the wall behind me (thanks Brandon!).
 |
| Image of my mother's eyepatch quilt from Beautiful Burden blog http://abeautifulburden.blogspot.com/ |
I love this activity, because isn't it always true that you learn something more about your friends and people you've known forever by entering their home? It's always a surprise, from the curbside view, to the decorations on their walls, and especially the objects curated in their home that tell the story of those that live in this place.
This is a wonderful point of departure to talk about archaeology and all we can understand about people who lived in past ruins by scientific inquiry into the objects they left behind.
But what now? What will be lost during this pause when no one is coming over, getting to better know us? What information will be lost during this isolation? What information can we gain?
It is notable that we are actually seeing more of each other's shelters than any other time of our collective online culture. It's unprecedented to share this very intimate side of ourselves and the wide variety of activities that now take place in our home.
Case in point:
- Funny Co-Worker Pics (Bored Panda)
- Home Office Quarantine Pics (Daily Hive)
- People Sick of Glamorous Home Office Post Pics (Bored Panda)
- Zoom Yoga (The Verge)
- Quarnatine Karaoke Group (Facebook)
I think it's a great thing that we are opening up our homes more for others to better know us. It's really the most human thing we can do to share the personal views into our own shelter. Pause a second and observe, infer. What objects do you see? What meaning do you infer from objects you observe? Are you correct? Ask your friends and co-workers what is in the background, ask them to show & tell what object is screaming to you from their background. What will you find out about this object, about this person, their culture, when you ask? On the lighter side, try planting a prop just to see if someone will call you out on it.
And while we're walking, I've been thinking a lot about another favorite book of archaeologists, David Macaulay's Motel of the Mysteries. This book supposes that archaeologists find Las Vegas in the year 4022 and wild interpretations of meaning from objects ensue. Keep in mind this book came out in 1979. How much has American culture really changed since then? What is already outdated? Going back to our online conferencing contemporary examples, what will future archaeologists think of our skype studios? How will historians use images from the Library of Congress 2020 collection to understand what life during Covid-19 was like?
 |
| Check out illustrated specimin #5 - Sacred Parchment! |
The idea of all the sacred objects in the bathroom has always seemed absurd. But just focusing on labeled artifact #5, the sacred parchment, it's an amazing time to be alive when toilet paper has risen to the level of an icon for this decade. Sacred parchment is now no longer that far off from its 4022 interpretation. The iconic status of toilet paper is further brilliantly presented in images posted by fellow archaeologist Bernard Means of 3d printed tiny toilet paper rolls, and a step further showing furrows planted to harvest next year. It's enough to imagine what archaeologists will make of toilet paper in 4022, what are they going to think of the 3d facsimiles? What do these objects tell about they people who made them (my own inference that Bernard is so smart and ahead of his time)? And what other objects from this time will be wildly misconstrued?
I challenge you to use the objects in your shelter to communicate something important about yourself in your new curated space. Take this opportunity for others get to better know you when proximity is now a rarified experience. Dar Williams in her new book What I Found in a Thousand Towns says the essential key to tight knit communities is not shared ideology, but proximity. How can we stay close and care about one another during a time of social distancing? And how to care more about others when it's vital to our #flattenthecurve survival?
Here I am, in new normal ice breaker mode, modeling good behavior. What objects do you observe (quilt, dog, globe)? What activities and behavior can you infer? When was this picture taken? Why was this picture taken (note the yoga mat)? How will the meaning of this snap shot change in the future when someone learns the date is March 27, 2020?
So much to explore in this new worldwide exhibit on the "Museum of Us."
PS just for fun, found this online interpretation "reading" of Motel of the Mysteries- enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uapRUeZSVaY
Text: Sarah Miller, FPAN staff
Images: Museum of Us and Eyepatch Quilt, Sarah Miller; Motel of the Mysteries illustrations by David Macaulay; 3d toilet paper Bernard Means via Virtual Curation Lab Instagram account.
References Cited
Cali A. Letts and Jeanne M. Moe, Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter, Bozeman: Montana State University, 2009.
Peter Nobokov and Robert Easton Native American Architecture, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, page 11.
David Macauley, Motel of the Mysteries, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1979.
Bernard Means, Virtual Curation Lab Instagram account, Electronic Resource viewed on March 27, 2020: https://www.instagram.com/virtualcurationlab/, 2020.
Sarah Miller and Janet Trever, "The Eyepatch Quilt" Electronic resource viewed on March 27, 2020: Beautiful Burden blog http://abeautifulburden.blogspot.com/, 2011.
And I cut this part but think it's vital you check out:
Joshua Becker "7 Important Reasons to Unplug, Find Space, and Fight Technology Addiction" Electronic resource viewed on March 27, 2020: Becoming Minimalist https://www.becomingminimalist.com/unplug-please/, 2016.