Home Studies - daily routines

“Dish Drainer Diary” addresses how daily routines help establish a sense of home. The continuity and security of staying in place allows habitual routines to emerge. These everyday performances may recur without conscious awareness. Tracking and reflecting upon them offers a path towards further insights into what home might mean.

One of my daily routines is washing up the dishes after a meal. Not long ago, when my partner was away for an extended trip, I realized that I took pleasure in carefully arranging objects on the drying mat, artfully constructing montages of the day’s remains. Such seemingly insignificant yet satisfying behaviours, regularly re-enacted, may arise from and contribute to the feelings of ease and well-being home can engender.

In addition to chronicling the predictable sameness of everyday routines, “Dish Drainer Diary” evokes a diaristic portrait of daily life. Key objects make repeat appearances, while new items suggest a change in the flow: a social gathering, a kitchen project, an interruption. Small details may suggest larger narratives—stories about home life.