Challenging Conventions : Charging Habitual Movements in Domestic KitchensM as te r Th es is 2 02 2 | N at ha na el L ar ss on | C ha lm er s S ch oo l o f A rc hi te ct ur e , A rc hi te ct ur e an d U rb an D es ig n | E xa m in er : D an ie l N or el l | Su pe rv is or : P et er C hr is te ns so n Year of Graduation 2022 Title Challenging Conventions : Charging Habitual Movements in Domestic Kitchens © Author Nathanael Larsson Institution Chalmers School of Architecture, Architecture and Urban Design Examiner Daniel Norell Supervisor Peter Christensson Graphic design Nathanael Larsson Paper used for printed version Nautilus Typefaces Minion Pro, Minion Variable, Nimbus Roman Finished, thank God COLOPHON 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 23 | 26 | 31 | 34 | 43 | 51 | 55 | 67 | 69 | Frontpage Colophon Epigraph 0.0. Table of contents 0.1. Thesis Statement Abstract 0.2. A Long Journey Preface 0.3. Student Background 1.0. Introduction 2.0. Moulding bodies Overture 2.1. Historical Kitchens Assessment 2.2. Universal Measures Estimation 2.3. Medical Attention Contingency 3.0. A Bodily Scale Framing 3.1. Habitual Movement Notation 3.2. Spatial Exposition Introspection 3.3. Tuning Elegance Application 3.6. Execution Results 4.0. Bibliography 5.0. Acknowledgements 0.0. TABLE OF CONTENTS “Ora et labora et lege, Deus adest sine mora” - St Benedikt av Nursia (480-543) free translation ; “Pray and work and read, God is there without delay” 5 Thesis Statement Abstract This study investigates the potential of kitchen topologies as a tool for stimulating physical activity. The latest recommendations for physical activity in Sweden by YFA (Yrkesföreningar för fysisk aktivitet /Swedish Professional Associations for Physical Activity) state the urgent need for increased physical activity and a lessened amount of sitting still. As a response, this investigation starts at the heart of the home, the vibrant and beating room for activity — the kitchen. Where better to induce motor practice and cognitive skills than in a domestic place intended for work involving all human senses? A century has passed since the emergence of ergonomics and our western modern kitchen. The normative visions for a good life, functionality and comfort at that time, follow us to this day, yet contemporary problems are rather different. Health issues related to a sedentary lifestyle are most common in western developed countries. Regardless of the causal relationship between ergonomics and human well-being it is significant to question how the built environment shapes human living. In general terms, how can the built environment encourage a long life of healthy habits? More particularly, this study investigates how design interventions in the kitchen can activate a contemporary sedentary lifestyle, encouraging bodily engagement, motor practice and cognitive training. Through a speculative design, this work presents perspectives on habitual movements inside the domestic kitchen. Can healthy habits be encouraged without impeding on bodily integrity? With a primary focus on actions involving fully embodied movements such as; reaching, bending and twisting, the design attempts to encourage more vibrant, diverse and physically active domestic habits. The investigated actions are posed as a dialogue with a set of design statements including low counter spaces, climbable structures and a strict removal of chairs. The design is motivated by a vision regarding physical engagement as something elegant and an integral part of habitual movement. Keywords: kitchen, ergonomics, domestic, convention, habits, habitual, movement, physical activity 0.1. ABSTRACT 0.1. 6 7 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 0.2. PREFACE A Long Journey Preface At the heart of any inquiry driven by curiosity I suppose there lies a portion of naivety. When starting this project I was not certain where this journey would end changing direction many times. Starting from a very ambitious place involving grand visions the investigations led to a more sensitive approach involving values of integrity and agency. However, part of the essential questions that have driven the framework involves the nature of the human /environment relationship. To be more specific, what role does human perception have in bodily actions and on what scale does the built environment affect bodily habits? This has somewhat also been a personal interest since my younger years, when being chained by the educational rituals sitting in chairs made me constantly yearn for physical activity. I still cannot grasp how humanity chooses to cope with such rigid designs as chairs. I continue to quarrel with such frameworks, not to be seldom called out as “standards” which turn them into unquestionable axioms in common tongue. If this dispute is a rebellious response or a genuine fascination for friction I cannot always tell, but I hope a malcontent is not obtained by the reader in such manner. The past two years of pandemic lifestyle, again sitting a lot still but now additionally restrained to a screen, has certainly provoked many of these inclinations again pressing the topic of this master thesis in architecture. Is the normative vision of human life really as barren as the one by The Wachowskis in 1999 (The directors of The Matrix); i.e. humans lying in pods nurturing a signal network living through an isolated mentally perceived world. Some might consider this utopic, but my personal experience through dance, work and public space tells otherwise. It is ignorant to believe that solely one discipline holds the cure or recipe for “the good life” and maybe this is at the core of the issue? Compensating for sitting still we will drink diet coke, or take an extra 20 minutes at the gym and as treatment for the knee injury we got on the last ski vacation we take an extra advil. Many concerns are involved here but I especially ponder on what is a healthy application of the human driver - ćonvenience? Naturally I do not envy my first teacher Ms. Green who had to cope with a monkey to pupil, frantic by the need to explore. She did the right thing by sending me to the principal at times. With regard to a society in need of agreements I wish to present speculative futures where activity is a norm and not a postulated illness. I hope any potential reader might find these perspectives informing and more optimistically even inspiring. 0.2. 8 9 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS Student background 0.3. 2020 - 2021 2019 - 2022 2012 - 2013 2009 - 2012 2007 - 2018 spr ing 2021 2018 - 2022 2014 - 2019 2016 - 2018 fa l l 2018 fa l l 2018 2016 - 2019 spr ing 2015 spr ing 2014 2012 - 2014 2009 - 2014 2003 - 2008 EDUCATION Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Erasmus Exchange Chalmers University of Technology | Master in Architecture and Urban Design Maslool Bikurei Haitim, Tel Aviv | One of Two years Postgraduate Danceprogram Balettakademien Göteborg | Professional Degree in Dance Chalmers University of Technology | Bachelor in architecture EXCERPT FROM OTHER WORKS Interplay of Cultures Studio: Sámi | Designs for a Cooler Planet | Exhibition at Aalto University | curator and designer Bar Centro, Alkemisten, Sykkel og Kaffi | barista Spinae Company AS | Art and culture center | co-founder, pedagogue and artist Ultra : Forsworks | Dancework by Martin Forsberg, Ice Hot Festival etc. | dancer Reversed Obscura | AHA Festival | performative furniture design Symposium Atelier an der Donau | Artist symposium, Ybbs an der Donau | artist Onz, Skyskrap & I Veien med Deg | Shortfilms for Syntax Terrorkester | director & editor Cykeltjuven | Citycentre wallpiece, for Tour des Fjords, 160m2 artwork | artist The Golden Cockerel | Opera at Bergen Nasjonale Opera | dancecaptain, dancer, soloist Define White | shortfilm | director, choreographer, set designer and artist Gotlands Hemtjänst | elderly care | summertime home assistant Afforestation | treeplanting northern Sweden | summertime forest planter 0.3. STUDENT BACKGROUND Here follows a small selection of the various works by Nathanael Josua Larsson. This is a mandatory part of a thesis booklet filling here the function of presenting to the reader a short retrospect / reflection of the authors former occupations. 00.0— 00.0 PORTRAIT Mirrored photo from exhibition at The Templet Source: Photographer Simeon Frohm April 2022. Text presented along the line in this manner will throughout the thesis consider images only. I will also give a short note about the image creating a parallel discussion on the presented topics. Here I wish to acknowledge the joy cooking in a physically activating space has meant. 10 11 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 1.0. INTRODUCTION Introduction Domestic life involves a great number and variety of habits. It is also a complex task to discern the manifold human movements related to equipment, space, material, environment etc. When then adding the variety and deficiencies bodies bring to habits, further complications arise. As preconceived by Lillian Moller Gilbreth in the early 20th century, it is certain that adaptable kitchens tailored for individuals is the simple answer to the problem when considering human autonomy and diversity (Penner, 2021). However, the change in domestic life and evolution of cooking is maybe a reason to consider other alternatives also environmentally more beneficial. Thus one must question what lies behind the material distribution of space. What rituals should be encouraged in domestic life? How does the architectural form choreograph human behaviour? Before giving the delimitation with its procedure I wish to clarify the personal background of this investigation. During my highschool years I began nurturing a growing interest in dance. By the time I was studying my second year at the Bachelor’s Degree of Chalmers in Architecture I was dancing three to six hours per day. This led me to take a break from Architecture and pursue a career in dance, passing through Ballet Academy in Gothenburg and further to a profession performing on stage. I do not wish to boast about personal endeavours but it is important to understand that my return to studies in architecture did not come with ease. The excessive amounts that are put into designing our environments sitting still behind screens are frightful to say the least. I might be an underrepresented group in the discipline of architecture looking for an active life, nonetheless it is absurd for me how a situation with a crooked back in front of a screen with noise cancelling headphones can produce delicate, caring and sensuous environments. For many, including myself, the years of pandemic adaptation have meant a shift towards a life closer to nature and more qualitative time with close family. But the past years have also meant a greater amount of time behind screens. For a dancer trained to meet a live audience it has been a most crippling situation. The future holds many fascinating things, yet I do not look forward to the recoil in human well being pushed by screen technology. What is really a healthy life? As introduced by Daniel M. Abrahamson et. al. in Governing by Design (2012) this investigation starts from a similar interest for authorship and architectures innate ability to govern. Following Sara Williams Goldhagen in Welcome To Your World (2017) the focus is put on domestic habits. “home—where each of us effortlessly connects the dots among four things: our internal, private experience; a social grouping; a physical construct; and a set of patterned activities.” (Williams Goldhagen, 2017 p. 200) There were many considered paths before electing the kitchen as a playground for this thesis and the strong interest for cooking was not the primary cause. When looking into patterned activities or habits in general, I grew intrigued by the many stories presented from the kitchen, involving encounters with not only the body with its senses, but also other people and nature. Almost any task can take place in a kitchen and no other domestic space is purposely giving so much nurture to human well-being. It was the encounter with the Swedish studies of the home after WWII that set the stage. In the kitchen human movements, habits and material encounters, have been dissected and purposely fabricated. As presented by Torell et al. (2018) the implementation of standards in the kitchen has taken many forms and for various reasons (Torell et al., 2018). Where better to learn and question habitual movements? When defining the scope of this thesis much time has been dedicated to literature studies. Although some knowledge regarding movement is self-evident from a background in dance it has been important to find sound arguments with foundation in research and history. The purpose of this thesis is not to reveal proofs for a new standard but rather shed light and show new insights to the issues that previously have not been considered. As the contemporary kitchen shares many traits with the kitchens shaped in the early 20th century I have chosen to especially investigate these. It has been important to find what motivated these design choices and somewhat the previous kitchen typologies. I believe there are elements in the older kitchens that could be of interest for us today. Relevant to habit’s relationship with design is also the simultaneous development of ergonomics as a discipline, which was clearly motivated by a norm and vision of the future. What is presented in here is foremost taken from J. Harwood in Governing by Design (2012). This material is put to test with some of Georges Canguilhems perspectives in The Normal and the Pathological (1991). With regard to human well-being it is then natural to as a response to the recommendations for physical activity in Sweden(FYSS, 2021) by YFA (Yrkesföreningar för fysisk aktivitet /Swedish Professional Associations for Physical Activity), look into movements that can be encouraged in the kitchen. Found evidence regarding application of movement also shows that activity with motor practice could prevent illnesses related to cognitive ageing (Cai et al., 2014). When disembarking on the path of studying movements I have catalogued various scales and reasons for movement. With a specific interest for full bodily actions I have linked movements to implementations. In order to give depth and credibility to the observations made I have also studied a series of individuals working in their home or habituated environments. These studies have revealed additional layers to habits that touch aspects of aesthetics and elegance with movement. The design choices made are certainly results of hidden knowledge sometimes difficult to discern. It is therefore valuable to see the outcome not only as a speculative future but also a document of explicit as well as tacit observations. 1.0. 00 STUDY OF HANDMOVEMENTS With a long shutter time and lightsources attached to a testsubjects hands, the arm movements while cooking are revealed. Foto taken for Konsumentinstitutet (former HFI) in 1969. Source: Studio Granath. (1969). “A 13092” [Photograph]. Studio Granath/Nordiska museet, Stockholm, Sweden. Here I wish to note the swiftness of movement that is revealed through the thickness of the line. Slower movements have a thickness and glow whereas quick trajectories through space have a thin and crispier feel. Note also that almost no hand movement is out of standing range. Only at a few occasions is it necessary for the subject to bend the knees. —00 12 13 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS Moulding Bodies Overture 2.0. Before entering into the subjects of kitchens and domestic habits it is of value to identify an additional underlying interest for this thesis. It might seem obvious to state that architecture shapes lifes. Much as such is mesmerising for an architect, I found it mischievous, impeding and also disruptive. The way in which architecture is governing human behaviour is obviously intricate and holds many issues that architects at times should and other situations can not be held accountable for. If someone slips on a wet floor, it was neither the one who forgot to dry up the wet puddle, nor the architect’s fault. To put forth a likely scenario it could just be that the person who slipped was unable to behave accordingly on wet surfaces while reading text messages on the phone. This can seem excessive and one can probably argue indefinitely about jurisdiction, ownership and authorship, which is maybe one reason for politics being so vivid at times. Abrahamson et al. opens the book Governing by Design (2012) with the hypnotic question, ‘how does architecture govern?’ But in contrast to a powerful monument or symbolic act, they choose to discuss ‘mundane matters’ and how humanity is ‘fashioned’ by architecture, economy and politics. They announce a search for mechanisms that regulate society. ‘Governmentality’ as described by Michel Foucault is presented here as a comparable concept, which also implicates the normative vision of elevating life in society. As pointed out by the authors this is certainly complex, evoking a list of engaging levels(Abrahamson et al., 2012). Also Sara Williams Goldhagen mentions governing. In Welcome To Your World (2017) she gives a broad view to the many aspects of how design affects human living. She outlines not only the physical limitations but many cognitive and mental aspects of how environments influence the way we behave. Drawing a lot of findings from psychology and neuroscience she reveals some fascinating details, for instance how the height of a ceiling will make us perform better intellectually. What forces me to commit a part of this overture to Williams Goldhagen is foremost her repeated depictions of embodied cognition. It seems our bodies play a much larger part than ‘carrying our minds from a to b’ (my own words), our bodies and minds are integrally connected. We inhabit the world with an embodied mind and our memories are built from an individual bodily experience. In the same chapter Williams Goldhagen introduces affordance theory by James J. Gibson which is specified later in this thesis. Finally I here bring forth her depiction of action settings which leads to domestic habits and my take in this thesis. ‘Action settings’ was invented by 2.0. OVERTURE 01 HISTORIC PLAYGROUND A playground from early 1900’s in Dallas, Texas. Source: [Online image] (Early 1900’s) https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cpBT7rxkfjA/V9I-CiWazNI/AAAAAAAAK_M/ Y5NwbakjYbMyPQRj9NdcppU_CkVwwMMLQCLcB/s1600/playgrounds_ in_1900_1.jpg (collected 06.04.2022) It is certainly hair-raising to imagine a sibling, child or even oneself falling down from such heights. But these kids do not seem to care about safety regulations. On the contrary they are enjoying the view and climbing with ease. How many kids brought up behind screens can or are even allowed to perform such acrobatics today? 02 CONNECTED PLAY “If children don’t play enough with other children during the first five years of life, there is a great chance that they will have some kind of mental illness later in their lives.” Source: Christoffer Alexander. (1977). 68 Connected play, pp 340-342 [Photo]. Oxford University Press, New York City, NY, United States. This historic view of play is rather different than today. According to this little quote, solitude behind screens might not be the optimal situation for a child. In the chapter on common land it is stated that open space should provide the opportunity to “form swaths of connected play space”. 03 HOUSE FOR ONE PERSON “Once a household for one person is part of some larger group, the most critical problem which arises is the need for simplicity.” Source: Christoffer Alexander. (1977). 78 House for one person, pp 389-390 [Photo]. Oxford University Press, New York City, NY, United States. It is here also pressed on the importance of social living. A single family home should be attached to couple- or family households. Here I would like to comment on the ramble which is suggested as being considered simple. Is a simple life necessarily anaesthetic white rooms of floating sheets? 04— 03— 02— —01 14 15 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS Roger Barker and his research group in the 1950s in order to express how an environment made people behave in a certain manner. The environment keeps an action setting which will conduct human behaviour and frame human experience accordingly. Williams Goldhagen describes three cities at the same time of the day and with the same activity performed, shopping. With vibrant descriptions she unveils how radically different these cities are. Different is not only the architecture but also the way in which people behave, - they have different action settings. Her example portrays how important social settings are for our encounters with an environment. To end this little conundrum let us follow Williams Goldhagen’s inquiry, how come we experience a place for a set of activities? I will start this investigation with the place foremost surrounding our bodies and the environment most autonomously governed, the home (Williams Goldhagen, 2017 pp. 19-39, 92-205). The home is inextricably connected to the human body. In a way it can even be seen as an extension of the body. I will not here elaborate on the home as a prosthetic device but instead make a bridge to the coming assessment. Of all the rooms in the home one invites for more activities than any other. This room keeps running water, the opportunity to heat and cool, cook and eat, sleep, sing and dance, no other space is so multifaceted and enabling for the senses as the kitchen. This is the site of the thesis, the vibrant heart of the home. Historical Kitchens Assessment 2.1. The task here is not to cover a thorough categorisation of historical cooking. The part of our human timeline of specific interest starts at the 20th century and the sudden shift of domestic living. This is partly due to the industrial revolution and the technological advancements that were made. Although many kitchen devices from the 20th century are radical and central, the progress started outside the kitchen. When recounting ways of governing by design, the story of our modern kitchen starts with the shift to cold storing. From grand warehouses to cooling railcars we consequently inherited the indoor kitchen refrigerator. Michael Osman states that the 1890s major topic of all America’s big tabloids, cold storage, was declared as the solution for the prevailing economic crisis. The previous dependence on farming and transport of livestock was unpredictable. Stops were necessary for feeding of cattle which could delay deliveries. Transporting frozen meat enabled thus larger markets and on demand delivery. Cooling technology allowed American industry to transform meat into a large-scale industrial product turning it to ‘an every man’s dinner’ (Osman, 2012). Changing consumer habits were essential for the innovations of the 20th century. Jenny Lee describes the upper class view of the kitchen as a smelly and filthy place best put separately, often in the basement. For those well off there was a strong will to isolate the harsh and hectic working conditions of the kitchen with the rest of the home. One wished to keep the illusion of leisure far apart from the physical work done by the domestics. However, for various reasons it became more difficult to find personnel for domestic tasks. This was frequently discussed in both Europe and America by the early 1900s. Many, mostly women, were thus forced to start working in a space they never had tread their foot in. Suddenly the kitchen had to answer to new ideals, a working class aspiring for modernised equipment and an upper class yearning for less work (Torell et al. 2018 pp. 25-29). In this midst the early visions of our modern kitchen arose. In the years of 1925-30 the New Frankfurt building programme was constructed with Ernst May as head architect. With a focus on quick cheap provision for the masses the programme was to answer to the great housing crisis in interwar Germany. Along progressive ideas like publicly governed social housing, Margarete Lihotzky was appointed with the task to bring forth a new modern kitchen vision. “Lihotzky was a rarity - a respected female architect in what was decidedly a man’s world.” writes Gwendolen Webster for the Architectural Review in 2021. Her design was rational and compact, with natural daylight and closeness to surrounding functions, a kitchen promoted as ‘by women, for women’. Making every detail as small, neat and labour saving as possible the total size comprises an area of 1,9 X 3,4m. Although it was at the core of the programme to save production costs, her attention to efficiency is less surprising as she never had interest in cooking herself. This I must say, makes it even more remarkable how well her kitchen functioned, production wise as well as practically in use (Webster, 2021). Although some things common for our kitchens today did not exist at this time there are some aspirations to resolving various technological dilemmas. Included in this kitchen is for instance an early example of a refrigerator made of tin boxes and hay (see image: _06) Her design for the New Frankfurt programme followed her earlier work in Vienna for the self-help building movement, but now in a much larger scale. More than 10 000 homes were generated through this programme. Further findings by Hochhaeusl show notes by Lihotzky stating: “The standardised kitchen arrangement is built on scientific principles based on the new working methods of rational housekeeping; we shall build small kitchens not only to save space and money, but most of all to save time” -(M Lihotzky, (1922). Beschreibung der Kochnischen- und Spülkücheneinrichtung, Archival Document PR 28/6 TXT, University of Applied Arts, Collection and Archive Vienna)(Hochhaeusl, 2013) According to Nancy Mitchel writing for ‘Apartment Therapy’ in 2019 there is a correlation to the kitchen designed by Benita Otte for Haus am Horn in 1923. One trait that is possibly inherited is the undivided countertop, which was something revolutionary. But there are many inventions in the Frankfurt kitchen that are unique. Easy to spot are of course the container drawers with handle, spout and label made in aluminium(Mitchell, 2019). Keeping streamlining principles as an ideal was not new, the mid 19th century author Catherine Beecher compared an ideal home kitchen to the ones used by the military. Along with this desire is the early 20th century view of the female role in a home, which is paramount and could be discussed for an entire thesis. The norm of the modern housewife was consciously shaped into a rational 2.1. ASSESSMENT 05 CHILDRENS PLAY ON THE FLOOR A testcopy from the studies made by the Swedish Homes Researchinstitute. Source: Ateljé Sundahl. (1952). Hemmens Forskningsinstitut, 10323 s, March 1952 [Photograph of photocopy]. From Hemmens Forskningsinstitut, Nordiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden. Clearly the children playing on the floor have not been of interest, when cropping the image for print the cropmark runs straight through the boys head. There are images where children are framed, but then they are politely sitting in chairs eating or doing homework. Raising children was a clear motive when enabling time by making kitchen work efficient. 06 PREPARING BARK FOR LEATHERCRAFT “Det luktar så gott! Barndomsminnen blir det ju, då tänker man ju på mamma. Hon satt ju jämt o skrapa, eller, då var det ju köket hon satt.” - Brita Unnes Source: DUODJI VÄTNOE DUODJI - Det vackra Samiska hantverket. Episode 4 - Brita Unnes, Nutukas (2020). Swedish series from 2020 streamed at SVT Play [Screenshot]. Sveriges Television SVT, Sweden. There are plenty of benches in this kitchen but the optimal working situation for this task is apparently on the floor. As Brita suggests in the episode it has been done like this for generations, and she has passed the craft to her daughters. Not further the cast iron stove to the right. Still in use, it is heated with wood. It was a common stove in Swedish homes before the electric stove arrived in our modern kitchen. —05 —06 04 YOUR OWN HOME “People cannot be genuinely comfortable and healthy in a house which is not theirs. All forms of rental–whether from private landlords or public housing agencies–work against the natural processes which allow people to form stable, self- healing communities. “ Source: Christoffer Alexander. (1977). 79 Your own home, pp 392-393 [Photo]. Oxford University Press, New York City, NY, United States. Agency is ofcourse complex, yet needless to say autonomy I believe is foundational for living in one’s own home. How much do we really govern our private spaces? I do not here intend to embark on a journey discussing the right to the city, nor the economical benefits and problems with social housing. Yet I find it of value to reflect on the quality of living at home. 07 STREAMLINING THE KITCHEN “Haus am Horn” by Georg Muche (1923) Source: [Online image] (Early 1900’s) https://socks-studio.com/ img/blog/haus-am-horn-georg-muche-10.jpg (collected 03.05.2022) The “Haus am Horn” by Georg Muche (1923) was an experimental house part of the Weimar Bauhaus exhibition in 1923. Each room was designed strictly for its function, not permitting any other use. Separating functions is what drives the kitchen development forward and this inspired peers such as Lihotzky. The L shape of this kitchen follows principles used in factories and work in a production line. 08 THE FRANKFURT KITCHEN “Frankfurter Küche - Overall view” (1927) Source: [Online image] https://www.metalocus.es/sites/default/files/ styles/mopis_news_carousel_item_desktop/public/metalocus_margarete- lihotsky_09.jpg?itok=0N6hriBH (collected 03.05.2022) Courtesy by Universität für angewandte Kunst, Wien, © Kunstsammlung und Archiv The Frankfurt Kitchen as seen from the hallway entrance. The compact kitchen has a side door to the living room. Note the placement of the window in relation to the dirty kitchen work accompanied by an adjustable stool. This is a deskspace rather than a physical working area. 07— 16 17 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS worker but also viewed as the loving mother. She should effortlessly work as little as possible with cooking in order to spend more time comfortably with her family. Note also that the kitchen was in general designated for only one person with carefully tailored equipment. Lillian Moller Gilbreth is another main character of western kitchen modernisation. Together with her husband, time- motion studies were developed using charts mapping kitchen work efforts. Along with Christine Frederick and her home laboratory kitchen, make- to-fit equipment and fixtures was designed all in the orderly fashion of scientific management formerly presented by Frederick Taylor. (Torell et al. 2018 pp. 32-35). The development of what we today call ergonomics is discussed later in this thesis. First, let us briefly look into the work of Lillian Moller Gilbreth. When speaking of female kitchen visionaries, surely Lillian is not passed by unnoticed. Barbara Penner addresses that her career stretched for six decades and notes Sigfried Giedion mentioning Gilbreth as the founder of industrial psychology. With her great amount of work and contributions including a doctorate in psychology and various celebrated publications, it is funny that even she did not cook at home. She was yet an advocate of work and saw it as something to be valued rather than wasted. Being a humanist, she spent a lot of work investigating and deliberately presenting solutions for disabled and war veterans. An example is the ‘Heart Kitchen’ designed for people with heart diseases, aiming to remove any exhausting labour. The view that one solution should fit all did however not apply to Gilbreth’s work, who favoured user-centred solutions such as varying bench heights. Although her influence was great, her vision for body-centred design is by today still something visionary when it comes to kitchens (Penner, 2021). In order to understand the shaping of the modern standardised kitchen one must see Lillian’s work in relation to the industry. Lillian had an education in literature and first when meeting Frank Gilbreth did her work towards Industrial Psychology start. Frank was a businessman more than an author and with great certainty Lillian wrote most of the books under Frank’s name. Prior to their engagement she was already involved with the book Field System, later published in 1908. Before their encounter Frank had been engaged with the bricklaying industry, developing methods with 09 PLAN DRAWING “Frankfurter Küche - Floor plan, 1927” Source: [Online image] https://www.metalocus.es/sites/default/files/ styles/mopis_news_carousel_item_desktop/public/metalocus_margarete- lihotsky_40_copia.jpg?itok=gy2dOr4H (collected 03.05.2022) Courtesy by Universität für angewandte Kunst, Wien, © Kunstsammlung und Archiv This drawing is a mirrored version of the kitchen in the previous image. Each module is shaped according to a function accessible from the core path. Is this an elongation of army tank design? 10 EARLY REFRIGERATOR “Hay Box” Source: Hochhaeusl, S., 2013. From Vienna to Frankfurt Inside Core-House Type 7: A History of Scarcity through the Modern Kitchen. Architectural Histories, 1(1), p.Art. 24. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/ah.aq Hay Box, ca. 1914, Cookbook for the Hay Box with a Commentary and Tips for Healthy Living, Ida Schuppli and Betty Hinterer, Vienna, Leipzig: Deuticke, 1914, p. 6 Preserving leftovers has been a case in food culture for probably as long as humanity started to cook. Placing the food in these tin containers could keep the food from going bad because of the insulation properties. The box was also easy to build from available leftover materials. 11 & 12 PRE FRANKFURT KITCHEN “Work In Progress” Source: ibid. Photocopies of the Canonical Views of the Frankfurt Kitchen with Remarks by Schütte-Lihotzky, Schütte-Lihotzky Inheritance, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Collection and Archive, Sekundär Küchenmaterial, PRNR 50/46/TXT. Clear cut, Lihotzky carefully designed the kitchen in order to lessen work and maximise outcome, enabling time. Here is an earlier version of the kitchen in Vienna including annotations. 13 MARGARETE SCHÜTTE-LIHOTZKY “Portrait” Source: [Online image] https://www.metalocus.es/sites/default/ files/styles/mopis_news_carousel_item_desktop/public/metalocus_margaret- lihotsky_cocinas_01_1.jpg?itok=2cLxIvxa (collected 03.05.2022) 09 — 08 — 10 — —11 —12 —13 specific scaffoldings in order to make production fluent and more efficient. The methods by Frank Gilbreth consisted of eliminating unnecessary motions from the process (motion study) and were developed before the encounter with Frederick W. Taylor in 1907. It was the union of Taylor and the Gilbreths that would springboard Scientific Management, then known as Taylorism, into transforming and governing modern industry. What makes Lillian stand out as a great pioneer in an otherwise dominant male choir is her genuine interest for human wellbeing. In contrast to traditional Taylorism Lillian favoured safe, happy and humane working environments. Thus one publication ought to be given special attention, Fatigue Study from 1916. In this book the Gilbreths discuss the ill effects of fatigue in industrial work and consequently risks for injuries. Among the solutions presented are ergonomic chairs, tea breaks, uniforms and even using fire evacuation exercises to stimulate morale and wellbeing, all in favour of measurable production results(Mees, 2013). The Swedish fairy tale of kitchen studies follows the above mentioned visions. When putting to display the history of kitchens in Sweden one has to mention the studies by HFI (Hemmens Forskningsinstitut, i.e. Home Research Institute). Even if the visions of the ideal citizen and utopian future of rational architecture appeared before WWII the implementation of developed standards in Sweden happened first after the war. The exhibitions Bygge och Bo during the 1920:s, the Stockholm Exhibition 1930 and Gothenburg Exhibition 1923 all presented modernised kitchens, but it was the Swedish building standard formed in 1942 which became the inauguration. In 1944 HFI was initiated with leading experts dedicated to continuing the journey that had started before the war. With governmental support and great optimism, solving the housing situation became the working ground for the new kitchens. The design was adjusted, tailored and turned into a Swedish icon. The kitchen topology became more open in order for the housewife to supervise and educate her children while simultaneously cooking and performing other domestic activities. When promoting the new kitchen, films and manuals for efficient and practical use followed. Also modernised comestibles with ready meals and baking mixtures were created to lessen the cooking time additionally. The monumental 2.1. ASSESSMENT 18 19 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS —14 14 TIME- MOTION STUDIES “ “The Original Films of Frank B. Gilbreth” Presented by James S. Perkins, In Collaboration with Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth and Dr. Ralph M. Barnes.“ Frames taken from a study of packing soap. Source: [Online video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fQJfap7SAQ (collected 03.05.2022), CC Also collected from the Online book; BUS300: Operations Management. https://pressbooks.nscc.ca/operationsmanagement2/ chapter/8-2-motion-study/ [The Time- Motion Studies were common in the emerging practice of Industrial Management. Although much focus was put on quantifiable results and efficiency in factory work, the Gilbreths had a great concern for the wellbeing of workers.] These studies revolutionised factory production in their time. In relation to a contemporary society where production is made more efficient and predictable with robots, the human culture and quality of living must be questioned again. Is pure efficiency the answer to well-being? Is the body a vessel for a thinking lump in the skull or an intelligent organism capable of using multiple senses for rich experiences? Note the running chronometer which is helping to keep track of the movement when shooting with more frames per second. Also pay attention to the grid on the various surfaces used to map the trajectory movements in space. 15 KITCHEN PLAN BY LILLIAN MOLLER GILBRETH “In a plan from New York Herald Tribune Institute Presents Four Model Kitchens, 1930, a service table on wheels creates a circular work space” Source: Penner, B. (2021) ”Reputations Lillian Moller Gilbreth” Architectural Review. (Dec 2021 / Jan 2022) 1487 pp.32-35 [Online image] https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/reputations/lillian- moller-gilbreth-1878-1972 (collected 03.05.2022) Note the compact placement of Stovetop, Sink and Fridge. 17 PAINTING WITH LIGHT “Motion efficiency study by Frank Gilbreth, c. 1914. Collection: National Museum of American History” Source: [Online image] https://designobserver.com/feature/exposure- motion-efficiency-study-by-frank-gilbreth/39272 (collected 03.05.2022) We can somewhat interpret the variation in speed and trajectory in space, but what is the tonus and articulation? How aware is the subject of the feet grounded and stuck to the floor? 18 SOLIDIFIED MOVEMENT “figure 2: Wire Model of foreman on drill press” Models like these were made interpreting the movement tracked in the time- motion studies, a spatial analysis of movement. Source: [Online image] https://medium.com/@s.cho/1910-1924- 910693509313 (collected 03.05.2022) How well does this steel wire represent the movement? Is this a necessary abstraction? Is the act of making the model a tool for understanding rather than the model a tool for communicating the movement? What is gained by the abstraction and elimination of the body? Are dancers capable of understanding the whole body with its many trajectories simultaneously? 16 LILLIAN MOLLER GILBRETH GIVING LECTURE “Credit: Purdue University Libraries” Source: Penner, B. (2021) ”Reputations Lillian Moller Gilbreth” Architectural Review. (Dec 2021 / Jan 2022) 1487 pp.32-35 [Online image] https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/ reputations/lillian-moller-gilbreth-1878-1972 (collected 03.05.2022) Did Lillian spend more time lecturing than cooking? —15 17— 16— 18— statement of standards also happened on an industrial scale. The industries which had been committed to war materials, reconfigured to produce building materials with interior fixtures. Suddenly, not only prefabricated blocks with whole kitchens and bathrooms but also ready to enter houses were launched from the assembly line. The new standard enabled a modern kitchen, with refrigerator, electric stove and comfortable working space, for all. This is not figuratively speaking, practically 1 miljon homes with modernised kitchens were produced between 1965 to 1974 (Torell et al. 2018 pp. 37-48). As astonishing this may seem it did not happen overnight. Statements such as the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930 points towards Sweden as a strong collective looking for modernisation already before WW2. Words by Gunnar Asplund about the exhibition purpose presented by Atli Magnus Seelow show that the future was portrayed progressive and bright; “The Nordic exhibition type that we have aimed at here is something quite different. It could be said to have a twofold intention: to give an impetus to development while fulfilling the requirements of beauty and festivity.” (Kulturkrönika 1930, Interview with Gunnar Asplund et al. Byggmästaren. Utställningsnummer, 1930, p. 11.) (Seelow, 2016, p. 40) As with the German building programmes the goal was to provide homes that met public demand both in terms of price and quality(Seelow, 2016 p. 122). 2.1. ASSESSMENT 20 21 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS Universal Measures Estimation 2.2. As previously mentioned, the evolving practice of Industrial Management in America took off with the union of the Gilbreths and Frederick W. Taylor. To begin this clause let’s continue with the Motion Studies later applied also in Sweden. Frank Gilbreth is the known inventor of motion studies, first used to develop and later in a performativ manner also display efficient work. Where Taylors Time Studies inaccurately utilised a stopwatch Frank Gilbreth was instead an active user of film and photography. Although it can seem boasting with the name ‘Advanced Motion Studies’ and Frank Gilbreth in every film, the material proved successful and was, as Frank’s practice in general, indeed pragmatic and modern. The ‘Advanced Motion Studies’ evolved from what Frank called ‘micro-motion study’, a hands-on method of improving bricklaying. Photography was already used for related purposes at the time but in these studies Frank approached the camera rather differently. The worker was placed in a monochrome grid tapestry for accurate spatial mapping (See image series 14). This was filmed with a hand cranked camera which could follow the detail of movement with framerate, i.e. speeding up the cranking. In order to keep track of the elapsed time a micro-chronometer was put in the fore- or background, i.e. a hand running around a wheel at a steady rate. Eventually Frank also started to add light sources to the subject’s hand to get a more selective view of the hand trajectory. With great ingenuity the material was used and post-edited in various ways to convey the necessary information. The chronographic images became symbols of Industrial Management and were also used for educational purposes. The inventiveness does not stop with the use of images. The pathways revealed with lightbulbs were also translated into steel wire models for a better spatial understanding(see image 18). Frequently used actions such as ‘find’, ‘grasp’ or ’use’ were annotated into icons called ‘Therbligs’, humoristically Gilbreth read backwards. However, what might be most commendable with the Gilbreths is their ability to promote and create a social movement, as they played an important part in spreading Scientific Management globally (Mees, 2013). The careful study of human work in the 20th century was done also in other ways. In the chapter Interface from ‘Governing by Design’, John Harwood uncovers the birth of ergonomics. In a growing industrialised society and the human encounter with machines grew a need for human consideration with focus on the in between. With a desire to humanise design Henry Dreyfuss and Ernst Neufert are highlighted as main characters. Although Neufert was earlier accumulating data on human sizes, I will start with sharing some of the work by Dreyfuss which Harwood presents. Similar to 19A & 19B HFI MOTION STUDIES Diagramatic movement analysis by Home Research Institute. Theses studies determined the placement of appliances and the form of the kitchen. Source: Björk et. al., Tidstypiska kök & bad 1880-2000, editor Ann Pålsson. (AB Svensk Byggtjänst, 2020) This certainly looks familiar doesn’t it? Diagramatic orientation of movement is not created by the Gilbreths, but this way of thinking came from scientific management where the Gilbreths were important figures. Today maybe a better response to the schematic study is different? Maybe the space and the body should be used mor holistically? 20 THE UNIVERSAL STANDARD ? “Man, The Universal Standard” The targeted man as viewed by Ernst Neufert Source: Ernst Neufert, Architects’ Data, edited and revised by Rudolf Herz, translated by G.H. Berger et al. (Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, 1970) I argue that If anything is constant about the general man it is change. Are some not universal? Can a person be universal for a part of life? Is it necessary to define the universal? Can bodies apart from the universal deal with the designed by the universal? Are the universal as capable of moving as the smaller or larger compared to the universal? 21 JUST THE AVERAGE JOE “Anthropometric Data - Standing Adult Male; Accommodating 95% of the U.S. adult male population.” Source: Henry Dreyfuss and Associates, The Measure of Man: Human Factors in Design, second edition (New York: Whitney, 1960)’ Collected from Governing by Design by Harwood et al. Will the future be this bright, with tall necked, strong postured, feet grounded and tall gazed human beings? 20— 21— Aktiv Hushållning (Skriftserien. Aktiv hushållning utgiven av Statens Informationsstyrelse, Pris 14 öre. 71422. Nordisk Rotogravyr, Stockholm 1940) s. 2; “Denna skrift är inledningen till en serie småskrifter, som utgives av Statens Informationsstyrelse under rubriken AKTIV HUSHÅLLNING. Den avser att ge den allmänna bakgrunden till de praktiska råd och anvisningar rörande konsumtionen, vilka komma att utgöra innehållet i de efterföljande småskrifterna. Den vänder sig till alla konsumenter, i första hand landets husmödrar.” s. 14; “ Innebär att varje enskild konsument, varje familj med man och hustru i samråd, varje ledare av storhushåll stå beredda — att överge gamla traditioner och fördomar och att rationalisera sitt arbete och sina konsumtionsvanor; att använda alla sina erfarenheter och all sin kunskap och bruka all uppfinningsrikedom för att, enskilt och i samarbete med andra, lösa de nya problem, som avspärrningen och försvars- beredskapen ställa dem inför; att icke låta slumpen bestämma utan att målmedvetet och med omsorg planlägga sin hushållning så, att individens och familjens hälsostandard tryggas och landets knappa tillgångar bli utnyttjade och fördelade på det ur samhällelig synpunkt bästa sättet. ” _____________________________________________________ Active Housekeeping (free translation 04.05.2022) (Writing series. Active housekeeping published by The Government’s Information Board, Price 0,14 SEK. 71422. Nordisk Rotogravyr, Stockholm 1940) p. 2; “ This publication is the first in a series of small pamphlets published by The Government’s Information Board with the heading ACTIVE HOUSEKEEPING. The purpose is to give the necessary background to the practical advice regarding consumption, which will be the content of the following publications. The target group is all consumers, foremost the country’s housewives. ” p. 14; “ This means that every individual consumer, family with husband and wife collectively, housekeeper are prepared — to abandon old traditions and superstitions and rationalise the domestic work and consumer habits; to use all experiences, knowledge available and ingenuity to, individually and collectively with others, solve the emerging issues which lock down and defence preparation make them face; to not let chance dictate but with focus and awareness plan the housekeeping to the degree, that the individuals and family’s standard of health is secured and the countries resources are utilised and divided in a societal view most beneficial way. “ From the perspective of war and scarcity the later governing acts in Sweden during 1940, here urging the public into rationalising consumer habits, are not so surprising. What these pamphlets also reveal is a well rehearsed agenda which mirrors ideals from that time, which were certainly not limited to central Europe or America. The influence from these continents is, however, impeccable. In the development of the Swedish kitchen, Time- Motion Studies were used, (see image 00), and the Kitchen triangle as originally observed by Lillian Moller Gilbreth was also interpreted within a Nordic Swedish context (Torell et al. 2018 p. 38). 19B— —19A 2.2. ESTIMATION 22 23 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 1375 930 1760 22 AN ARMS REACH “Human Reification; or Ernst Neufert’s Definition of Space.” Source: A Photographic Essay on the Reification of Bodies in Neufert’s Ergonomics, Written by Mónica Arellano, Translated by Maggie Johnson, July 09, 2019 [Online article] https://www.archdaily.com/920097/a-photographic-essay-on-the- reification-of-bodies-in-neuferts-ergonomics (collected 03.05.2022) I still wonder what is the actual application of the original map by Neufert. And even with a real human being it is not clear to me what this movement depicts. Are human beings stiff machines only intended to use arms in these selected angles? How often do we reach with stiff arms and immobilised elbows in this manner? 23 ANOTHER ARMS REACH A Contemporary Dancers Definition of Space? Source: A Photographic Interpretation of the Essay on the Reification of Bodies in Neufert’s Ergonomics; Nathanael Larsson, April 13, 2022, Chalmers Atelier As a dancer one practices constantly the meaning of reaching beyond bodily limitations. Even standing still there is an ongoing investigation with reaching and giving more space to joints and limbs. The activity is sometimes so subtle that it merely electrifies the skin. Here the reach clearly indicates that our bodies are capable of much more than the stiff notion portrayed by Neufert. previous examples there was a close relation to industry and war. After WW2, Dreyfuss and his colleagues were working on a war tank instrument panel for the U.S. Army and had drawn a full size drawing of the panel on a wall. Using data from measuring soldiers, in black line drawing, a silhouette had been placed on top of the blueprint of the imagined driver. When looking at the lifesize drawing they realised they had created an estimation of the average man which later would be named ‘Joe’. Also a female counterpart was designed called ‘Josephine’. Now, instead of digging through a pile of collected data, they could account for one average answering the majority of cases. The book ‘The Measure of Man’ from 1959 is renamed with “and Woman” added in 1993. Pay attention to Dreyfuss’ motive in the book ‘Designing for People’ from 1955 were he stressed the need not only for adjusting design for ‘Joe’ and ‘Josephine’, but to make sure the design does not cause psychological distress or bodily pain. (Harwood, 2012). The same way Dreyfuss is driven by care for human encounter with design, The Architects’ Data (Third Edition) starts with introducing the human relation to design and a specific focus on the measurable scale and space requirements. It is pressed on the importance of knowing these measures as a working architect; “They have to understand the relationship between the sizes of human limbs and what space a person requires in various postures and whilst moving around.” (Neufert, 2000, p.1) According to Harwood the 1936 book ‘Bauentwurfslehre (Building design guide) is the text known for establishing ergonomic design. Ernst Neufert started as one of the first students at the Bauhaus school also working for Walter Gropius. When the war came he chose to put focus on automation and mass production leading to the encyclopaedia most architects today have in their bookshelf. It started as a pamphlet called Mensch als Mass und Ziel (Man as measure and target) where he expressively discussed the average as an ideal and norm, in need of protection from the dangerous environment. In a later book ‘Bauordnungslehre’ (BOL) he states as a solid truth that “only automatism makes perfection possible in living and work.” According to Neufert the human body should be seen as a piece in a great system rather than an individual being. In relation to this system the lead word is efficiency, with less effort more is gained and so the ergonomic equation follows; speed equals work over time. In the domestic environment as well as the factory, functions are separate and ergonomy applied. This principle was certainly assigned to The Frankfurt Kitchen and the result is clear, a minimised efficient space and a slick design ready for production(Harwood, 2012). Today’s conventions it seems, were indeed a challenge promoting intense innovation aspiring for a better future. Giving an end to this passage and before discussing present health issues it must be pointed out that the early modernist architects were indeed committed to health and wellbeing. In X-Ray architecture Beatrice Colomina asserts that the modern house, stripped away from excessive ornamentation, was to exhibit the modern lifestyle charged with exercise. The house should not only care for the body as discussed previously, but also facilitate training and fitness. Gymnastic equipment was commonly placed in the newly designed villas of the early 20th century, further amongst many both Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier were earnest designers of gym facilities. In the 1922 ‘lmmeuble Villas’, Le Corbusier placed sports rooms in each apartment along with a full kilometre running track on top of the roof(Colomina, 2019 pp. 27-30). What happens with the human body living in such a streamlined world where surfaces do no harm, functions are separate and space requirements are followed by strict rationalisation? Are we today harvesting that future? What are the challenges we face and is it appropriate to challenge these well developed conventions? —22 —23 24— 25— 26— 2.2. ESTIMATION 24 25 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 25 KID KNEELING ON A CHAIR “5792s, Hfi 1949, 48-49 2 s. 87” Source:Nordiska Museet, Foto Ateljé Sundahl, HFI 1949, Stockholm A young kid gazing out through the window, using the chair to get high enough. With good manners the kid is not standing on its feet but staying on the knees. Another option for use of a chair. 26 A HANDS ON CHAIR An Acrobats Approach to Furnacing Source: A Photographic Interpretation of a Chair, Nathanael Larsson, April 13, 2022, Chalmers Atelier With all the options of using a chair there will always be versions we never consider. Does it make them less real, or less valuable? Can domestic life include majestic bodily actions? 23 KNEADING DOUGH ON A CHAIR “evelyn-etheredge-late-19th-century-kitchen” Source: [Online image] https://laurelberninteriors.com/wp-content/ uploads/2015/05/10-13125-post/evelyn-etheredge-late-19th-century-kitchen1.jpg (collected 03.05.2022) Person cleaning clothes or kneading dough in a kitchen from the late 19th century. The posture is lightly crumbed due to the placement of the bucket on a chair, using locked elbows and straight arms. By moving the upper back and shoulders a pushing movement is repeated. Such tasks performed on a kitchen table would be less ergonomic and more stressful for especially the neck and shoulders. Not only does this reveal the plasticity in our body, but also the environment. What can a chair be used for? 27— Medical Attention Contingency 2.3. Well observed by Architectural theorist Beatrice Colomina the concern for health in architecture has probably existed since the creation of the discipline itself. When Vitruvius commenced architectural theory he strongly promoted medical studies for architects and the necessary concern for health (Colomina, 2019 p. 13). After all, of the many desires within architecture one major is to provide useful spaces for human living. I find this almost nurse- like care for humanity among architects most intriguing. Can architecture really give answers to any problem? Naturally as with medicine, there is in architecture an ongoing search for a more beneficial situation that can enhance human living. This could be viewed as a functioning equilibrium similar to an ecology. In this case (Challenging Conventions : Charging Habitual Movements in Domestic Kitchens), I have chosen to investigate the potency of the aforementioned desires. Further, since the concern for human good is much dependent on normative visions and ideals, it is important to clarify the nature of such a norm. I here follow the line of thought by J. Harwood in Governing by Design and share some of the perspectives on the philosophy behind norms, the normal and pathological as discussed by Georges Canguilhem. First when introducing the polemic discourse between healthy and sick, normal and pathological, Medical Philosopher Georges Canguilhem uncovers many views on philosophy and medical approaches to cure. It is easy to become mesmerised by the contrasting historical perspectives and get lost imagining how these were manifested. The Normal can be viewed from different angles. One way to see the idea of norm is the general lack of affliction. In the encounter of an anomaly or disease one is made aware of the normal in a search for remedy. But the normal could also be defined by gathering quantifiable measures aiming towards for instance healthy and long life. There is an intrinsic relation to nature and the mechanisms thereof. The human body as a biological entity will calibrate according to its environment, produce heat in the cold and sweat in the warm. The body will create symptoms of disease aiming to cure an intrusive anomaly, and likewise humans will try to return to a seemingly normal state. “To govern disease means to become acquainted with its relations with the normal state, which the living man - loving life - wants to regain.” Canguilhem goes as far to say that the norm exists in its conflicting opposite to the odd, thus creating a potential discourse of settling the problems arising. In searching for an order it becomes clearer what is the disorder(Canguilhem, 1991, pp. 39-46, 237-240). What is the order which we search for? Where does humanity meet the requirements of a functioning normal? One answer was developed in the early 20th century, but is this the case today? Studying YFA (Yrkesföreningar för Fysisk Aktivitet) and their publication ‘Fysisk aktivitet i sjukdomsprevention och sjukdomsbehandling’ (FYSS), in english ‘Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of disease’ from 2021, the solution for good life is accomplished through added physical activity. A large group of scientists and practitioners from medicine gathers recommendations and data related to physical activity as a remedy, published and updated yearly. Throughout the book it becomes clear we have a big problem with the present state of affairs and the need for movement is rather urgent. And it is not a complicated science but a matter of simple wellbeing, those who are physically active sleep, function and feel better(YFA, 2021). The book somewhat follows the structure of WHO’s (World Health Organisation) ‘Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour’ from 2020 with diagrams, bullet points and easy to read steps. In general the recommendation by this report also found in FYSS is that “doing some physical activity is better than doing none”(WHO, 2020 p. 67) which should be followed by increased amounts according to what is possible. To be more specific, 27 PRE STUDIES OF DOMESTIC SPACE Gathered drawings from the emerging thesis. Source: Photograph and drawings by author. Drawings from December 2021, Photograph taken April 2022 Drawings 1&2(left column); What is an ergonomic interface? Is this also a matter of preference or even presence? Drawings 2-6(left column); The variation of kitchen space globally and historically stretches far beyond the conventions as seen in Scandinavia. Why do we insist on cooking in a certain topology? Drawings 7-12(right column); What does trajectory mean? And to what extent is it interesting to understand where our limbs move through space? any individual disregarding age should perform a minimum of physical activity, i.e. not sitting and the higher intensity the better, between 150 and 300 minutes per week or 20 to 42 minutes per day. Higher levels of physically active lifestyles is proven to lower risks of many cancers, coronary heart disease and type-2 diabetes (WHO, 2020). Following the statements by WHO and YFA is enough to fill the rest of this thesis. In order to stay concise I will thus share just a fraction from FYSS which I have picked up and used as incentive for the following investigations. Physical activity is a central part of wellbeing throughout the entire human life. The challenge is how one can support those in need of healthier and more physical habits. Among the eight investments presented in chapter 1.1 intended for policy makers and societal interventions, five encompass environments in various ways: Schools, Transportation, Urban Planning, Sports facilitation and Active Workplaces. Here I propose, without interfering with human agency, if activity could additionally encompass the domestic environment? Some of these categories are maybe self-evident but something of value for this thesis is the recommendation for shaping the work environment in a way that physical activity is enabled. Other tools that have proven successful are encouraging working cultures and the spread of knowledge regarding physical activity(YFA, 2021, pp. 18-22). These aspects I am trying to respond with the outcome of this thesis through the kitchen. The benefits of charging habits does not stop with gaining movement range, strength and stamina. It has been discovered that practising cognitive abilities including motor refinement and intellectual stimulation has great benefits for the ageing brain. This is at least what Liuyang Cai et al. state in their article ‘Brain plasticity and motor practice in cognitive aging’ for Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience. They share a long list of evidence for motor practice in order to prevent functional decline in older adulthood. Motor learning, or acquiring skill through repeated practice engaging physically and or mentally, stimulates brain plasticity. It is proven that physically fit adults perform better than those less fit on executive functions. It is proposed that older adults engaging with bodily exercise lessen the cognitive decline and possibly even prevent dementia. Cai et al states; “Exercise improves vascular function, decreases obesity and reduces inflammatory markers to enhance brain health and functioning”. They also push that for older adults physical activity should be reasonable and easy to perform. Last but not least they recommend the use of mindfulness, or more articulate; mind-body concentration practice with attention to the experience of the present time. This will improve memory, brain functions, social communication and physical wellness(Cai et al. 2014). At some point in history cooking may have included all of these now called recommendations. Acquiring food was maybe done by engaging in nature, climbing for eggs, picking berries and diving for shells. The commestible would then be carefully prepared using all the senses in a thick present now. It seems to me at least that the kitchen is an obvious place to intervene. 2.3. CONTINGENCY 26 27 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 28— 3.0. A Bodily Scale Framing Looking for ways to approach a design stimulating activity in the kitchen it was difficult to move away from the presumptuous images one has been washed with through education and design magazines. The convention made itself present in the most uncanny way. It seemed almost impossible to imagine a kitchen without perfectly aligned horizontal surfaces as counter space and vertical sheets stretching along, floating and covering the potentially messy cupboards. When reading Sara Williams Goldhagen I stumbled upon the concept ‘affordance’ and felt soothed. In the third chapter; The Bodily Basis of Cognition the theory by J.J. Gibson is shared. The theory of affordance says in simple terms that the general perception of design is goal oriented, looking for what is affordable or possible. Humans search for ways to interact. As Sara points out, although architects favour abstraction using terms like space, people will search for interaction and simulate bodily encounters(Williams Goldhagen, 2017). In order to clarify a potential quality of human living I have found it important to reflect on the effects of the development and implementation of standards which we see in the kitchen. What are the movements existing in the kitchen today? As a dancer I have learned to look for the multitude of nuances a body can perform. Maybe not explicitly, but throughout a day even non dancers possess a great bodily vocabulary. These can be categorised according to muscle groups, tonus, isolation, intensity, dynamic, mechanical function and much much more. I expect it comes down to the purpose and focus of interest in the choice of such categorisation. There are other important questions regarding habits related to physiological differences in the domestic environment. For one body a countertop can be of perfect height and unnoticable whereas for another it will mean constant friction and being forced to bend or reach beyond the expected comfort within the domestic space. These two bodies will also be conditioned differently because of this. Before digging into more refined notation on bodies let’s investigate and focus on the array of actions taking place in the kitchen. How come we imagine certain features included in a kitchen? From the idea of affordances I started speculating around an outcome designed by considering actions instead of functions. What is the result of a kitchen shaped by “actions” when changing the initial norm that drove the functional home in the early 20th century. I have a great respect for the pioneers and the great amount of research spent on making the kitchen efficient and practical. Yet, I am obliged to question if the norm driving development was correct and if it had been beneficial to include a wider array of cultural practices No. 0 Directly referring to ingestion; drink, eat, taste, smell, nash, chew, gulp, swallow, devour etc. Acts of nurturing the body. Actions within this category are limited to the body and not by the Kitchen and can therefore arguably also be discussed within the framework of a sensory experience of place. These actions can be affected by designed interventions stretching from medical equipment to using cinnamon scent to stimulate appetite. Also sight is a crucial part of eating. The design explorations of this thesis are not focusing on such interventions with risk for losing specificity and depth. No. 1 Preparation of comestibles by a bodily movement; cut, rinse, pour, bake, peel, grind, blend, whipp, brew, crush, stir, mix, manoeuvre, spread, knead, roll, flip, fill, stuff, sort, press, decorate, place, wash, clean, present, time, plant, pick, stretch, carve etc. Managing goods is an act involving simple and sophisticated methods bound to region, cultural influence and practice. Many of these acts also strongly depend on industry and technological devices. That devices will benefit the act itself is a norm pushing technology forward and also keeping consumerism as a powerful habit - “Let the old go and invest in the new”. I argue that most of these tasks can be performed manually to stimulate a more vibrant connection to the environment involving all the human senses 29 50 WORDS ON KITCHEN ACTIONS 50 words sorted in 5 categories. Drawn on Esquisse Blanc from Sennelier Source: Photograph and drawings by author. Drawings from February 2022, Photograph taken April 2022 Although this task gave a general picture of kitchen activity, the use of actions is also a helpful practice. It engages the mind when considering design rather than function which will comprise us to more stiffening spatial limitations. An action can additionally often be translated to many situations. This forced me to consider a broader perspective before selecting a useful scope. Some notations are more aesthetic in nature as the use of sight is such an important part in cooking. What do the numbers look like on a kitchen apparatus? Does it promote efficient cooking or invite for precise gastronomic experiences? 28 SQUATTING IS THE NEW STANDING Collage of several versions of squatting. Source: Collage from Google image search 24.04.2022 Most people from western countries cannot enter this stand. Some when entered cannot leave it. Many will have problems with the knees after a while standing like this. But as the masses show, clearly this is a matter of practice, cultural practice. While we sit in chairs, some will stand in a squat. Is this unnatural, is this abnormal? When are norms healthy or even culturally stigmatising? 30 FULL BODY ACTION Words in category No. 3. Bodily Movements, aimingly the full body. Drawn on Esquisse Blanc from Sennelier Source: Photograph and drawings by author. Drawings from February 2022, Photograph taken April 2022 Obviously many full body movements are done already in the kitchen, many that also demand engagement. During this process I have had many individuals come to me complaining about how they had to bend and go to the floor to pick something up, as if they didn’t know they already stood on the floor. Somehow they manage to injure themselves as they were not used to such demanding movements. Thus, could the kitchen be a place for obscure movements, exploring the body, heightening the sensitivity and practising bodily presence, creating a culture of elegance involving thick physicality?—29 30 — present at the time. Cooking was considered smelly and something done by the poor in the basement. In some aspects I believe this drive unintentionally clouded the response to what was necessary and what was healthy. White bread is a good example, once a status symbol and for long considered a commestible of the nobles. Now the white loaf is a cheap unhealthy product known to cause a list of serious diseases(Rubel William, 2011, Bread: A Global History(Reaction Books Ltd., London)). Aiming to map the many actions taking place in a kitchen I ended up with 5 categories. The latter two are the ones most taken into consideration. Note the difference in scale which also has been central in the building of the framework. I must also clarify that this is not an attempt at building a new universal theory considering Kitchen habits, but rather a practical delineation that could serve as a springboard for new ideas. 30 31 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS and therefore serving a more ecological and resourceful approach to design. As mentioned before, motor learning has positive effects on brain plasticity and cognitive ageing(Cai et al. 2014). No. 2 Handling of comestibles not limited to a bodily movement with an instrumental requisite; heat, cool, store, waste, clean, organise, transport etc. The actions here require technological intervention. They are often functions central in the development of the modern Kitchen. Modern society now enables consuming habits with great diversity in diet also partly no longer bound to a geographic location. No. 3 Bodily movements, aimingly the full body; reach, sit, stand, lift, drop, push, pull, bend, squat, twist, curve, swing, lie, sway, place etc. Most vocabulary describing bodily movements can be ascribed to activities performed in a kitchen. They can also to some extent be ascribed to other working environments. Something of great importance when stating actions within this category is firstly the focus on bodily engagement. They are not actions performed out of value in themselves necessarily, although sitting many times is imperative after actively standing up working by a bench. They are rather movements performed by other motives. As an example one will “reach” in order to “pull” out a device from the cupboard. One will then “swing” the arms with a “hold” onto the device and “place” it on the bench with a “sway” shifting the weight from the left to the right foot. I will argue in this thesis that such actions can be done with low effort yet involve a richer cognitive experience resulting in healthier habits. No. 4 Actions taking place but not limited to the Kitchen; converse, view, socialise, contemplate, write, read, napp, sing, dance etc. The final category gives room for the complexity of habits that make up human living not particular for rejuvenating the body by ingestion. Some of these actions are connected to pleasure and some have no emotional value due to their commonality in everyday life. It is interesting to speculate how actions like these enrich the kitchen and human culture. Further one should ask what happens when tools such as “voice control”, “machine learning”, and other technological developments are implemented into the Kitchen? Will we spend more time on sitting still behind screens or more time on enjoying the vegetables we grew next to the network servers installed in the walls keeping the home warm? There is a potential adaptation to architecture involving many more systems than just the isolated task of making kitchen work and infrastructure more efficient. 31 A NEW OLD KITCHEN Kitchen with 480mm high and 700mm wide counter space. Graphite on satin grained aquarelle Paper from Saunders Waterford and figures on tracing paper. Source: Photograph and drawings by author. Drawings from March 2022, Photograph taken April 2022 Translating the first ideas into a drawing turned out quite successful. Some things were in need of adjustment after physical live testing had been made. But as the drawing opened new doors, it was left unchanged for next iterations made separate. The floor is here intended as a part of the kitchen cupboard system. Instead of installing a new kitchen one could build up the floor leaving some spaces for sitting. 31— How can the poetry of cooking, moving and experiencing the many riches of the kitchen not be an exciting domestic habit? Like a fresh morning breeze moving through a grassy field we could dance our way over the floor gently managing the comestibles cutting with noble precision and plating with creative ingenuity. As a sailor manoeuvres a boat we could trace our feet like a cat on the floor pulling and pushing efficiently the drawers and pots, yet with a firm foundation on deck. Lightly climbing to the top shelf we could balance the vessels on one hand while smoothly climbing the obscure wall with the other, keeping the feet active like a morphing octopus along a coral reef attentive to any surface fluctuation. The bodily engagement will vary with the many activities along the day, with varying muscular tonus in the morning compared to the evening but it will be using the many intricate muscles in the groyne, stomach and most importantly the brain, beneficially done out of necessity. The practice of complex action will just be culture and not another dream on a screen. 3.0. FRAMING 32 33 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 3.1. Habitual Movement Notation The meaning of “Charging Habitual Movements in Domestic Kitchens” is twofold. First I wish to charge the body and give energy to our domestic living. Secondly I wish to press charges against the conventional kitchen and the habits it forces us to perform. ‘Is it so difficult? Just put a weight belt on and the effort will be raised automatically. Add a yoga-class or 30 minutes dance activity per day. Why not eat out at a restaurant on the other side of town to which you walk and the activity is added additionally to the social experience along with much better food.’ There are many solutions that exclude interference with everyday habits so why should we investigate the domestic environment? Is this intruding inside the individual autonomous space? Attending to the topic of domestic rituals I have notices that movements are often done without any consideration to the bodily action. Many habits are performed without any effort and if done with effort they are quickly adjusted, either done less often or more comfortably. Many kitchen devices are responding to exactly this need. After personally spending almost two years of studying, working, cooking, eating and living isolated inside an apartment, I have been reminded of how much our movement vocabulary, bodily and cognitive capacity is influenced by domestic habits. Although I for long have been enchanted by the stories of off grid living or indigenous tribes in the jungle climbing trees all their lives, I think the threshold for a more varied domestic lifestyle can be much lower, and much less escapistic. I A meal in my lonely kitchen After imagining possible dishes and unable to neglect my stomach ache, I decided to rise from my wooden chair to get some food. I had been aching for more than an hour but couldn’t motivate myself to leave the workstation, having such a good workflow. Now that I rose up from my curved position by the desk I was made aware of the numb toes that started to buzz. With hesitant steps whilst pulling my elbows back in order to crack my back stiffly I started walking towards the kitchen. Entering the kitchen I realised I was thirsty and went straight to the cupboard. I took 33— 35— —32 —34 32 HABITUAL MOVEMENTS; CASE SPANNLANDSGATAN Kitchen from 1964, - Nathanael baking bread Source: Filmstrip with Notations by author in March 2022 It proves beneficial at times to pursue a task despite knowing what it will lead to. The benefit, sometimes just fractional, is the step towards the unknown. Accepting one does not know, forces one to reconsider and try. Here I am filming myself, baking bread in a most everyday manner. I have given strict annotations on all kinds of things, from placement of peripheral vision to small jugging movements before launching a step. For a detailed view see image _36. It is clear this body has movement training and the study compelled me to look at other bodies in their own habituated environments, how they related their bodies to the conventional kitchen. 34 HABITUAL MOVEMENTS; CASE SANKT PAULIGATAN Kitchen with standard measures. Cabinet doors and appliances installed after 2000. - Linnea making breakfast and coffee. Source: Filmstrip with Notations by author. Original film by Linnea in March 2022 As Linnea is taller than the average person, which the kitchen is most sufficient for, she is forced to bend the upper body in order to practically utilise the countertop. One solution could be to bend the knees which is rarely instinctive and demands more clearance beneath the edge of the countertop. Further, being well conditioned and skilled in many sports Linnea has formed some elegant habitual movements, such as the casual and extremely precise tossing of objects to the counter space. For detailed view see image _37 33 LOWERED COUNTER SPACE CASE DR. ABELINS GATA Nathanael doing dishes on a stool simulating a low counter space. Source: Footage from filmed documentation by author in February 2022 The simulation proved useful in some cases. Where postures covered narrow spaces on the floor the stool served well its purpose. But a counter space closer to the floor naturally implies many more possibilities. Another useful observation was the need for space underneath the countertop. In order to get a good working relation with the upper body one needs to touch the edge with the hip. Thus the clearance for the knees, similar to the relation between normal table and chairs. 35 HABITUAL MOVEMENTS; CASE BRÄNNÖGATAN Kitchen with standard measures. Cabinet doors and appliances installed after 2000. - Jennifer cooking Pasta alla puttanesca. Source: Filmstrip with Notations by author. Filmed by author in March 2022 Seeing a person of comfortable height in relation to the standardised kitchen makes a lot of sense. There is a general effortless feel in this approach to the workspace. For detailed view see image _38. 3.1. NOTATION 34 35 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 36 HABITUAL MOVEMENTS; DETAILED VIEW OF CASE SPANNLANDSGATAN Kitchen from 1964, - Nathanael baking bread Source: Filmstrip with Notations by author in March 2022 There are many levels of habitual movements. From the upper left you find a notation on reaching for a towel, a movement oriented towards an object. Firstly the hand reaches with the most efficient trajectory towards the towel. Secondly the elbow is used instead of the shoulder for lifting the towel as it demands less energy. Already as the towel is grasped, the focus is shifted towards the next action, to open the oven. Here it becomes obvious that this body has been trained in coordination; placing the legs is done with minimum steps and light precision in order for the oven to be opened and tray taken out. There is not a single small foot adjustment. Next page features a similar type of action; as the fridge door is about to open - the right hand is already reaching towards the plate inside the fridge - without any visible orientation with the eyes the path taken by the hand is done with millimetre precision towards the plate inside the fridge. Other notations visible here are regarding different categories such as muscular tonus, focus (if orienting or following the body) and the arms shape whilst placing a plate on the counter. The latter is interesting as it is done with a compromise between where the full body is heading, what the space requires or allows and what is the most efficient path. are learning to casually accept it as a part of life. Furthermore, all individuals in the cases presented are adults. The purpose of mapping individuals in their domestic or habituated spaces was foremost to bring forth various issues with the standardised kitchen. However, many other things have surfaced, as each individual has its own elegant way of moving and relating to space. We all have our own nuances, adaptations, instinctive movements and postures. This is most obvious for many, but in relation to how plastic our bodies are it is crucial to point out, also the range of adaptation is varying. The general issue which I bring forth is that we have lost friction in our everyday life. And why couldn´t the kitchen answer to this problem, as it is a place already generating encounters that demand us to heighten our senses? This is a disclaimer. With these habitual movement studies I am building an argument using my background as a dancer and practitioner in teaching and choreography. I am by writing this also made aware of my strict limitation to the subjects that I have encountered, and the limited understanding I have from my personal experience. It may seem much for some and less for others. For those who have no experience in dissecting human movements I am trying to create a bridge and open the window for complexity. For the one trained in the art of dance or skilled practitioner of any other physiological form I humbly present a document in time. As the human body is plastic I believe so is also knowledge. There might be as well as have been periods when I will know/knew more than this document reveals. In accordance with time, focus and interest this is one outcome of many. I acknowledge my lack of knowing and ongoing search for learning, letting some interests go while importing others. The camera is places in an upper corner of the room in order to give a good view of the movements. The clothing is casual and a part of the individuals everyday choices. The tasks are known to the individuals and habituated. Here are part of the key findings from Case Spannlandsgatan, Sankt Pauligatan, Brännögatan and Kyrkogatan; - The convention has benefits in terms of cleanliness with one solid counter space. The use of focus is clear with a tidy space and anaesthetic environment as anything out of the order will be visible. - The conventional kitchen allows very little lower body engagement, i.e. pelvis, legs and feet. - The kitchen triangle is more practical when spread out and not aligned along the same wall as the movement introduces rotation and peripheral perception which further stimulate lumbar disk movement. - Drawers and cupboards are rarely made of a quality that permeate care or elegance. - Individuals find their own way of coping with physical dilemmas. - Culture is a major part of the practice in the domestic kitchen, often apprehended through a self taught practice or interest rather than inherited from previous generations. - Motor practice is possible in almost every challenge of cooking. - Functional orientation in the domestic space does not demand bodily presence, i.e. awareness of the body’s movements and change over time, unless there are injuries or pathological issues. - Bending the knees in order to reach the floor is strongly avoided. - Each individual has a unique language and cultivates habits automatically. - There are reflexes part of habitual movements. With bodily training reflexes can to some extent be adjusted. Note that physiological reflexes outside of control will —36 3.1. NOTATION a glass out from the closest shelf placing it under the tap no more than 40cm below. Holding the glass with my right hand I flexed my right finger away from the glass to check the temperature of the water. A moment later I decided it was cold enough and filled the glass up to inhale it immediately. Now I was ready to start cooking. Despite the amount one can relate to this autoethnographic observation, its purpose is to awaken a discussion concerning the bodily mental images mostly subconsciously running through our mind. Now let us investigate the same situation more carefully looking into what is taking place in the body; Firstly the stomach ache has made the posture more curved than the usual sitting position. Often such pain adds a small curve or stiffness to the lower back, yet individual variations will appear. Further the pain makes the lower abdominals and muscles in the diaphragm contract, adding additional tension to the lower back and groyne muscles. The secondary tension created in the shoulders will also add to the experience making the notion of hunger less prominent. The body will also pay attention to the suffering rather than the peripheral limbs that have been still for more than 3 hours. It does not matter how much we try to think of the feet while sitting, we will not use the toes actively as when standing or walking where they constantly take care of the shifting weight. So when rising from the chair and contracting the stomach even more it is first by standing up the sensation will appear in the toes as the blood starts running through the feet creating the buzzing experience. The act of rising is the first in 2 hours (for many even longer). In order to receive the weight onto the feet, the head is pushed forward where the core has to work even more just holding the top ten kilogram vertebrae swaying (the head), with more pain added to the stomach. When beginning to rise up from the chair the hip abductors are stretched for the first time since last time getting seated. As they now have to go from almost full flexion into full elongation they will also add tension to the lower back pain we barely notice due to the prevalent stomach issue. The stiffness of the body is not just a passing sensation but a physiological state cultivated since kindergarten sitting in a standard chair. As the walking starts the body will try to find balance with the buzzing toes and stiffened back. The body suddenly needs hydration to move, thirst becomes the new motivation for moving into the kitchen, which happened so quickly we barely recognised it. As stiffness makes the body ache most times heading to the sink we have tactically placed the drinking vessels on the shelf closest to the sink in order to spend least possible effort. We barely have to move the arm. The most complex movement our body has to conjure is the isolated pointing of the index finger feeling the temperature of the running water, which we if possible rather would avoid. After all, who likes to spend time waiting? The experiences of pain and stiffness are not the only bodily issues that can follow the conventional domestic habits. The lack of complex cognitive ability is another. Firstly, the surfaces our body encounters are mostly smooth and if an edge is introduced it will be perfectly rounded. The sharpest object apart from cutlery or similar tools is the door. Since we only touch the handle the edges of the door never become a threat. The handle might be made from wood but even in cold metal it is intentionally shaped to fit perfectly into the gripping hand. Although our body is capable of performing extremely complex actions our domestic environment is formed to undress any possible obstacle creating simple, effortless and less eventful habits. The lessened time for kitchen work has been driven by an urge to liberate the individual for other activities. The elegance of a perfectly steamed salmon on a plate of slow cooked herbs is only imagined by viewing someone else cooking behind a camera in a studioset. Then it is ordered online from the available food delivery service. The patience and diligent practice necessary to accomplish even such simple meals is beyond most people’s imagination as they have barely learned to do anything other than sitting in chairs. Cognitive experiences need to be used not viewed. And as presented earlier it is also a part of long healthy living. II It is easy to become dystopian seeing a whole generation become more sedentary and less physiologically engaged. Postures are crooked and anxiety built up with the pectoralis(breast muscles) shorter than ever. As a response I have here had the privilege to look inside a few individuals’ domestic kitchens that can shed light on a vivid life at home. The idea has been that these studies also will give some critical perspectives on the conventional kitchen. All cases involve well physiologically oriented individuals. They present first of all a range of length, muscular tonus, temper and interest. As they are individuals I trust and they hopefully trust me, I have tried to avoid the dilemma of ‘feeling overwatched’. The study of subjects is a sensitive task and one undoubtedly runs into cosmetic discussions, which here is hopefully lessened. The subject’s sensation of a camera filming is still present to a small part. As society is saturated with Big Brother watching, Social Media and cameras monitoring we 36 37 CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS : CHARGING HABITUAL MOVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC KITCHENS 37 HABITUAL MOVEMENTS; DETAILED VIEW OF CASE SANKT PAULIGATAN Kitchen with standard measures. Cabinet doors and appliances installed after 2000. - Linnea making breakfast and coffee. Source: Filmstrip with Notations by author. Original film by Linnea in March 2022 ‘Reflexes’ is another topic within habitual movements. It can be outside the scope of habits if it is something we don’t repeat, i.e. burning the fingers on a toast. Fixing the hair is a reflex within habitual movements. Reflexes are also done within the scope of what a body can perform. Linnea has in general an active upper body and a grounded core with a steady placement of legs and feet on the ground. This is a natural consequence from the sports she performs. Thus, when another person will react in one manner, Linnea does it in hers, here lifting the elbows up while contracting the shoulders pulling her hands away from the heat that her fingertips touched. This is attempted to be portrayed in the graphite drawing. A pendulum movement is done with the core when looking around with the head at the coffee brewer. It is just like a swaying dance. It might be this is the most efficient way for Linnea, a very delicate and cheerful move. As the countertop is too low for her length she has adapted with an individual practice. Although not visible in this extraction from the notation it should be noted that Linnea also uses dropping and tossing in order to leave things on the counter. Done with precise caution it is most magnificent. 37 — 38 HABITUAL MOVEMENTS; DETAILED VIEW OF CASE BRÄNNÖGATAN Kitchen with standard measures. Cabinet doors and appliances installed after 2000. - Jennifer cooking Pasta alla puttanesca. Source: Filmstrip with Notations by author. Filmed by author in March 2022 There are many correct dialogues between Jennifer’s bodily habits and the kitchen’s design. Moreover, I must assert the exemplary way Jennifer uses gravity to sink into squatting. The hip flexors are relaxed and open, giving enough room even for bouncing at the end of the movement. Giving this kind of breath to the joints is an excellent way to make them endure. Some movements show other qualities, such as the preferred standing on the right leg, leaving the left toe barely touching the floor. It is perceived as casual but in the long run it can lead to stiffening and imbalances in the whole body. Not being educated as a physiotherapist or similar it is difficult to tell when the problem of such character will arise. I can share that as a dancer one learns that repeated activity on one side should be compensated by mirroring the movement on the other side, but even more to condition the body with training, stretching etc. Finally, Jennifer uses her sight not only to locate but to plan throughout the process. In a contemplative manner it brings a calm energy to the procedures and could possibly be a great source to the precise and excellent outcome. still vary according to the bodily limitations. - A common habitual movement which is outside our cognitive awareness is the movements we do when focused giving emphasis to thinking. Often this is done with a step aside and focusing with the eyes into thin air or looking around, as if we mentally look towards a fictional world. [There are more findings intentionally left out from this document.] III Revisiting these studies throughout the semester has revealed additional information. It has become evident that the motive when studying gives colour to the findings. One could discuss the energy according to the time of the day, being in a hurry or on a holiday. We have rituals and routines happening on many scales, through seasons, days, weeks and hours. Habits are notions of repetition and we choose to make something out of it. Here the discussion easily gets entangled with motivational speech, ten steps to success, retreats in the forest, mindfulness journeys to the Sahara etc. Without looking through a window of ‘living life to the fullest’ I wish to question the careless way we endure the conventional kitchen. In many observations made, I have found “we could - but we don’t” as the answer to posing dilemmas. We have a body capable of magnificence but limit ourselves to a sturdy countertop. There are pragmatic reasons for creating conventions which should be addressed in order to leave out the potential comment. In the final stage I have built a one to one scale model of the framework and imagined cartesian outcome. Using one type of cross head on the screws is naturally the simple answer to how one easily dis- and reassembles the model. I apologise if this becomes a too distant figure of speech, we are obviously not streamlined products shaped into one singular manner. Today’s effort put into changing the kitchen surfaces (especially since they are merely superficial in their consideration, see Torell et. al. pp. 301-319), rather than investing in healthier habits is disproportionate. Thinking of the good life dependent on anaesthetic spaces but not an engaged body I argue, is arrogance and a cultural norm created by us and society. It seems to me the same thing as using tobacco, which everyone knows is unhealthy but keeps using anyway. Maybe it just feels good to mutilate the body as it enhances the sensation of a present temporariness; “s