The Memory Field of Folding: Bodily Practice, Spatial Restructuring, and Material Translation in Domestic Space

ORAL PRESENTATION

Abstract: Amid contemporary urbanization and social atomization, the role of domestic space as a vessel of memory faces profound challenges. Mainstream theories of domestic space—whether material culture studies emphasizing symbolic meaning or spatial triad frameworks highlighting macro-level power—often overlook the micro-dynamic, embodied, and material interactions between people and objects. This study employs self-ethnography and curatorial design methods, focusing on the bodily practice of “folding” within the home. Through examining four types of folding practices—pen cases, wardrobe storage, memory boxes, and book stacking—across 210 objects from 1998 to 2024, this research explores how micro-spaces reconstruct themselves as carriers of cultural memory through time.

Findings reveal that folding acts as a dual mechanism: functionally, it regulates spatial visibility and order; symbolically, it facilitates intergenerational knowledge transmission and embodies the temporal rhythm of domestic life. When translated into exhibition design—such as through foldable booklets—these private bodily experiences reactivate collective memory, transforming static records into dynamic, participatory sites of cultural dialogue. This study contributes methodologically to capturing the ambiguous overlap between memory in space and memory of space, while offering replicable pathways for community memory projects, advancing a shift from spatial production to memory reproduction.