Exhausting the Home Interior: A Perecquian Methodology for the Study of Temporary Homemaking

Abstract

Bringing into dialogue the common themes and approaches in the research on student homemaking, a discussion of the relevance of Georges Perec’s works to spatial research, and an experimental empirical study carried out on student homes in Copenhagen, Denmark, this article proposes a Perecquian methodology for the study of the multiscalar phenomenon of temporary homemaking. This methodology revolves around three main empirical reference points: (1) a focus on the infra-ordinary and the everyday, (2) a keen eye for materialities, and (3) the interplays between the domestic and the urban scales. By defining and adopting a detailed set of Perecquian constraints as to how the fieldwork is carried out, recorded, and analyzed, this article broadens the horizon for more multidisciplinary perspectives on creative research and experimental fieldwork within home studies.