Ailsa Morrant
Perpetually Searching for Eudaemonia:
A Conversation About Object Wearing
Through the creative lens of a jeweller, using a grounded theory approach, by comparing and contrasting experiences of wearing jewellery with those of worn personal alarms, I considered why and how wearing an object influences eudaemonia, the state of wellbeing and contentment arising from personal and social meaning, and purpose.
Insights from semi-structured interviews and a workshop were qualitatively investigated and tested. Six categorizable, dynamic and interactive factors potentially influencing the eudaemonic affect of wearing any object were revealed;
a person’s emotional state, their emotional need, their perceived meaning of a worn object, their curation of objects to wear for given situations, what their perceived affect of wearing an object was, and whether or not this led to a sense of self-actualisation.
From this, three potential principles emerged;
Willingly wearing an object is a personal, intimate act created and curated by the wearer, motivated by their quest for contentment.
Personal selection of an object to wear depends on the perception of its inherent meaning and eudaemonic utility within the situation proposed to wear it.
The term jewellery describes a way of wearing an object that the wearer perceives has the capacity to positively change their state of being.
LIFE AFTER GRADUATING
As a jeweller, I have always wondered what the term ‘jewellery’ is describing. Why do we call some wearable objects jewellery but not others? This question drives my creative practice. Prior to the MRes experience I struggled to understand how I could integrate an academic research approach within my creative working process. I therefore used a methodology for my MRes which heightened my insight of how to personally be, and acknowledge self, as an integral element within the process of researching, ultimately giving me the confidence to write up my thesis in the first person.
After completing my thesis, my thoughts continued to swirl. My mind needed to pause, sift, review and sort. I knew GSA Archives had recently acquired an extensive personal jewellery collection which I sensed held relevance for my work. I therefore volunteered to assist one day a week with cataloguing it. This activity gave me space and time to both pause and think, whilst also staying engaged with my field of research. This period helped lead me towards considering and successfully applying for a GSA PhD studentship award in 2023 which has enabled me to continue researching, from further perspectives, what the term jewellery is describing.
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