The Imaginary World as a Motive of Craft Making and a Way of Dressing Up

Abstract

This article focuses on communities of live action role players and specifically on their handicrafts-related activities. The participants create costumes and artifacts for an imaginary character, and the process of dressing up is an essential part of the ritual. Through their imagined characters, they both construct a new personality and develop their handicrafts identity. The research material includes text excerpts from discussion forums, interviews with enthusiasts, video and photographic materials, and questionnaires. The materials are collected mainly from the members of the Finnish live action role playing association Suomen live roolipelaajat ry and from an association for reviving medieval culture, Elävä Keskiaika ry. The analysis indicates that the handicrafts activities can be interpreted through three distinct frames. The first of these is the Experience Frame, which highlights the very idea of the recreational activity in question. The second, the Skills Frame, demonstrates the enthusiasts’ (hereafter also termed buffs) versatile arts and crafts skills. The final frame is the Network Frame, which is significant with regard to the actual making of handicrafts in that these groups utilize new media in the process. Furthermore, the costumes and artifacts crafted by the participants constitute a significant visual dimension for the audiences of the events.