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7. CONSUMPTION
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
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7 CONSUMPTION Keeping Things It is often sai d that Hon g Kong people are great collector s an d tha t they neve r throw thing s out. There is certainly som e truth m this . Density i n man y household s i s ofte n mad e wors e b y residents ' predisposition t o fill up the space with what som e families referre d to jokingly as 'junk'. The obvious solution to the problem would be for resident s t o reduce th e amount o f possessions i n the home an d curtail their consumption. But is consumption perceived by residents to be a problem of high-density living, or a way of life? Well, . . . this place is crammed wit h to o many things. ... I have som e friends, better off friends. They throw out anything they don't use any more. Bu t w e ar e reluctan t t o d o that , whic h i s wh y thi s plac e ha s filled u p with mor e and more stuff . . . Some of my friends' home s ar e over on e thousan d (square ) fee t bu t the y don' t hav e a s much stuff a s us, quite empty I would say. I looked in their drawers, there was nothing much inside . They hav e a big place an d lot s o f cupboard s bu t there' s nothing inside . . . . We could reduce things by half.... We'r e just no t willing t o throw thing s o u t . . . . If a space i s to feel lik e a home, i t shoul d b e used fo r keepin g things people want to keep — even so-called junk. The reluctance of this father , i n hi s sixties , t o clea r ou t thei r fla t suggest s tha t th e family's attitud e toward s consumptio n outweighe d thei r desir e fo r 146 A t Home With Densit y space. They valued, or were attached to, these things that fille d thei r home an d were not prepare d t o throw the m away . It would probabl y require a radica l chang e i n thi s family' s attitud e befor e the y coul d feel comfortable in a home organized according to an imposed, logical, rational, and ordering process. The question is could they feel 'at home' in suc h a space ? Probabl y not . A hom e ca n b e inconsistent , quirk y and illogica l and yet stil l suit th e residents ' needs. Interior designer s could certainly create a whole new lifestyle fo r a client, but ther e ar e no guarantee s tha t th e clien t woul d b e abl e t o sustai n tha t lifestyl e within the space. If the designer fails to recognize the way their client s actually live , rathe r tha n ho w the y sa y the y woul d lik e t o live , o r how th e designer s thin k the y shoul d live , it i s likely tha t th e desig n solution the y com e up with wil l not b e successful.1 I t may in fact b e unworkable. Th e presenc e o f 'junk ' o f clutte r i s a n indicatio n o f people's attitude to consumption, an d is therefore a n essential part of the home. But, as this resident pointed out, if you are well off and ca n afford a bigger home , yo u ma y als o hav e a very differen t attitud e t o consumption. Ther e i s th e luxur y o f havin g space , bu t conversel y there is less need to keep so many things, which enable s th e space t o be kept relativel y clutter-free . As one mothe r i n her fifties explained , olde r people lik e t o kee p things. They [her children) alway s sa y that I like t o keep al l thes e useles s things. You know th e elderl y ar e lik e this . They ma y b e o f n o us e now...