OBSERVATIONS OF THE DOMESTIC COLLECTION WITHIN SINGAPORE �S POST-MODERN HOUSEHOLDS

Abstract

“The real plight lies in this, that mortals ever search anew for the nature of dwelling, that they must ever learn to dwell.”- Martin Heidegger An individual's relationship to the world develops over time and at a variety of scales. Man’s relationship to his dwelling is complex, often interwoven with things and relationships that create a sense of place. This dissertation shows how collecting is an activity that inhabitants participate in, in coping with a sense of anonymity, and the paradox of being in constant nostalgia and a search for newness. The juxtaposition of the activity against the current high-rise vernacular of Singapore’s mass housing, seeks to highlight the dissolution between ideas of the dwelling and the built. The dissertation establishes the challenges to creating a sense of home in Singapore’s current mass housing. In addition, it explicates how post-modern conditions and mindsets makes it hefty task. Next, the use of case studies is employed to explain how collecting is an attempt of the individual to characterize homogenous spaces, and how a sense of home and identity is cultivated within a dwelling. The discussion also sheds light on the problems that come with the dedication to objects and how it contributes to a change in the dwellers perception of privacy and increase in mobility. In summary, the paper is an observation of how an individual characterizes his home through collecting, and on the other hand an evaluation of mass housing in its role of place and identity formation. These new interpretations of a dwelling, might guide architects to address the need for the rethinking of mass housing.