In my design practice, I investigate how the relationship between people and objects extends beyond function and into emotional and cultural layers. The classic stripe pattern of an awning serves as a visual cue that activates collective memories and associations.

By dressing a USM Haller shelving unit in fragmented awning fabric, I wanted to highlight this duality. The unit’s iconic modular structure is placed in dialogue with the awning's narrative and sensory qualities. In this case, reuse is not just about extending a material's life but about reactivating its symbolic and affective potential.

For the project, I wanted to find an awning from the local area and engaged my neighbors in the search. Many examples were too worn, but the goal was to find a fabric that was sufficiently preserved to show both traces of time and a living history. I finally found one on Finn.no in good condition but no longer functional.

I bought it for a symbolic price in exchange for dismantling it myself, and the owners expressed their delight that it would get a new life. It combines signs of use and patina in a way that provides a rich resonance and plays beautifully with the chromatic frame structure.

When I work with reuse and repurposing, it's not just about a material's origin, but about how objects can maintain relevance and value over time. I base this on the theory of emotional durability, which suggests that objects with memories and emotional connections are more likely to be cared for.

I call this "emotional repurposing", a design approach where recognizable materials activate both cultural and sensory layers, thereby extending an object's narrative lifespan.