Thing Power
A term used to describe the alluring power that an object can have on someone, a compelling force that goes beyond utilitarian or practical considerations. In "Powers of the Hoard", for example, Bennet explores 3 possible reasons for why things can have such an effect on people.1 Slowness, or the awe felt for some objects that are capable of withstanding the passing of time, a sentiment that can be tied to the fear of mortality. There is contagion/porosity, or the sponge like capacity of an object capable of absorbing someone's imprint until the boundaries between it and the consumer's body blur. Lastly, there's inorganic sympathy, a term used to describe the mirror-like quality of some objects of reflecting the consumer's qualities or evoking their memories. They become, to a certain extent, personified consumables. In a broader sense, "thing power" can also describe the loss or gain of value of an object, dependent on the connection/dynamic that different people establish with them. An evident example would be the saying: "one man's trash is another man's treasure", brought up by Rybczynski in "From Pollution to Housing", when he states that "one man's pollution is another man's housing."2 Thing power, or the appeal objects have on consumers, is a topic that can be linked to Pawley's interest in over-consumption, and its potential to become the driving force behind a new housing policy that incorporates waste into their agenda. According to this viewpoint, consumerism can be coupled with regenerative design to help alleviate the housing shortage, and at the same time reduce pollution.