Objects for Everyday Resilience

The intersection of material things and our ‘everyday’ resilience

In this project, we studied the relationships between material resources and people in conditions of adversity. In particular, we focused on the things that supported the mental and physical health of different sections of the community during the pandemic. We hoped to enhance and extend emerging understandings of multisystemic resilience (Ungar 2020), and to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The significant amount of literature on objects and things in relation to resilience gave us a wide range of potential applications when thinking about the material conditions of resilience in the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to unfold.

Old and new ways of coping under COVID-19

Pot of money growing green shoots — Income, living circumstances and access to digital (and other) resources, can affect people’s ability to get up-to-date information about the virus, physically isolate and work from home.

Marginalised and vulnerable communities have had to develop coping strategies or acts of resilience for a long time. However, COVID-19 lockdowns intensified the conditions under which resilience was built and used. This is not only true for those marginalised communities but for people from all walks of life.

The pandemic highlighted, in simple terms, the stark divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. People’s pre-existing physical conditions and material resources (or lack of them), impacted their ability to protect themselves from the virus.

Working with objects

Working with objects enabled interaction beyond language barriers and enabled alternatives to the re-telling of experiences. This meant it was especially useful when working with people who have experienced trauma, marginalisation or mental health challenges.

Collecting data

Participants were invited to photograph and submit objects that supported their resilience during the pandemic. To guide people when they put forward their objects, we asked about:

Their relationship to the object
The meaning of the object
Which features of resilience are mobilised by the object

We used a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) model. YPAR involves training young people in research and engaging with them at all stages of the research process. YPAR is well recognised as a powerful approach for engaging young people from marginalised backgrounds to learn useful skills to benefit themselves and their communities. It has been used effectively in research investigating resilience among marginalised young people, in particular regarding the need to address power imbalances and cultural sensitivities (Bolzan & Gale 2011; Flemming 2010).

We used a combined object-based photovoice and digital ethnography approach. This allowed us to investigate the strengths of digital and object-based methods for individuals who may not have responded as well to traditional research methods, including marginalised and vulnerable young people.

Photovoice uses photography to document and observe a community. The data captured are diverse, reflecting individual observations and their own photography techniques.
Digital ethnography transforms the traditional ethnographic approach into a virtual one. It uses technology like phones, computers and tablets to engage with people in research. They might use digital technology to submit a selfie, a video, or a voice note. This means that researchers can get insight into ‘their space’, such as their home, bedroom or street. It also means that people can contribute to research from a place that they know, and may feel more comfortable or safe there. Digital submissions, although relying on resources like access to technology and WiFi or data, can reduce other barriers to participation, like transport costs or travel time.

Following this process, we also produced a in-person exhibition at Deakin Downtown, that presented different objects of resilience. This exhibition has been captured through our online zine, developed and produced by young people as part of the process.

Visit the Objects of Everyday Resilience Online Zine here

Through these activities, ‘Objects for Everyday Resilience’ aimed to address knowledge gaps in the study of resilience during the pandemic and enabled the development of shared resources to support resilience during recovery from the pandemic and beyond.

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1) 'My laptop allowed me to learn online and connect with family and friends via Zoom. I was also able to use it to continue teaching martial arts via Zoom.' -Male participant 1) 'My laptop helped me to be connected to friends and family as well as to escape the reality of the outside world.' -Male participant #classes #computer #computadora #connect #family #friends #escape #everydayobjects #laptop #lessons #lockdown #lockdownlife #lockyd #online #onlinelearning #ordinateur #martialarts #meeting #mentalhealth #pandemic #portatile #resilience #teaching #virtualmeeting #zoom #zoommeeting

'I arrived in Australia from New Zealand one week before lockdown began. I took out my kiwi saver to furnish the house and pay rent, power and food as I had limited resources, no job and no government support being a kiwi. I started working in a hospital and injured my leg not long afterwards. While I was recovering, the couch saved my throbbing leg for many months. It served as a place to eat, paint and rest.' -Female participant #art #corona #comfort #couch #divano #essentialworker #everydayobjects #hospital #injury #kiwi #kiwiinmelbourne #lockdown #lockdownlife #melbournelockdown #painting #resilience #rest #trauma

1) 'Since much of lockdown was either in cool weather or deepest winter, I used this [double-sided cashmere] wrap to cocoon myself. I found myself taking it whenever I went out for any of the permitted activities and I also went to bed with it at night. The soft texture and the warmth against my face, neck and shoulders relaxed my body and I felt comforted and safe. I guess in a way for me the wrap became a kind of security blanket that young children have. I don't recall having a security blanket as a child in Western Australia where it was very hot. However, in cold, locked-down Melbourne, this wrap became my body's friend and source of reassurance.' -Female participant 2) 'I purchased this calming blanket online during lockdown and used it frequently for time-outs on my bed (I was confined to a tiny flat at the time and separated from my family). It gave me a safe space. In the second lockdown I was living in a comfortable home with others and found I did not need it as much.' -Female participant #blanket #calmingblanket #cashmere #cocoon #comfort #everydayresilience #objects #securityblanket #warmth #winter #lockdown #lockdownlife #melbournelockdown #mentalhealth #safespace #timeout #wellbeing #relaxation #resilience

'My journal provided a safe space to explore thoughts and make them more tangible, acting as a consistent mindful practice I could always turn to. The journal provided consistency throughout the ever-changing lockdown conditions and a strong sense of stability. Recording thoughts daily allowed me to not only process adversity, but draw attention to the areas in my life which I was grateful for, allowing me to recognise the positive experiences I was fortunate enough to encounter even from home. Writing from the perspectives of other people, from friends to strangers, also allowed me to reflect on the different experiences others had during lockdown. I found this fostered empathy and motivated me to reach out and check in on others, which in turn also benefited my own mental health.' -female participant #adversity #diary #diario #empathy #experience #everydayobjects #friends #grateful #journal #journalling #lockdown #lockdownlife #mentalhealth #mindful #mindfulness #mindfulpractice #perspective #perspectives #prospettiva #resilience #safespace #scrittura #stability #stories #strangers #thoughts #wellbeing #writingforwellbeing #writing

'Using kettlebells helped me to regulate when times got hard.' -Male participant #exercise #exerciseroutine #kettlebell #kettlebelltraining #kettlebellworkout #lockdown #lockdownlife #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #movement #movimento #objects #pandemic #pesi #regulate #regulate4resilience #resilience #weights #workout

'My son spent much of the time in lockdown reading books. This gave me some time to do my own work.' -Female participant #books #bookshelf #childrensliterature #diaryofawimpykid #diaryofawimpykidseries #dogman #everydayobjects #heroesofolympus #lockdown #lockdownlife #objects #mentalhealth #reader #reading #resilience #spookystories #stories #time #wellbeing #wfh #wfhlife

'During lockdowns we were really constrained in terms of movement and — because we had to wear masks both outside as well as inside at various points — my sense of smell, especially outdoors, was limited, which I mourned. Perfumes were my sensory transport during this time — they could evoke memories of places I’d travelled to, seasons, people, feelings and even colours. I could go to far-off places in my mind (geographically and also temporally) through scent even though my body was largely stationary within my home. Those bottles of scent assumed a disproportionate significance during lockdowns and helped me cope by widening my sensory horizons and lifting my mood through the sheer pleasure and evocativeness of their presence, by turns bright, moody, marine, floral or grassy. Through scent I was able to bring the world to meet me when I was unable to go out to meet the world.' -Female participant #bottles #cologne #eaudecologne #englishpearandfreesia #everydayobjects #frenchlimeblossom #greenwheatandmeadowsweet #hemlockandbergamot #horizons #jomalone #lockdown #lockdownlife #meeting #mentalhealth #olfactory #olfactoryobject #pandemic #perfume #profumo #resilience #scent #scentoftheday #travel #uplifting #viaggio #voyage #wildbluebell #world

'I started working on this Tamamo no Mae costume [from the game Fate GO!] while I was in Melbourne months before the world changed in March 2020 but between work and travel, it just sat in a corner. And then March 2020 happened. I was allowed to work from home - home was a small 1950s house in Tasmania with my partner and cats. It was the first time that we had lived together in 8 years of marriage because my job as an academic saw me working in NZ and then Victoria - but because of the uncertainty of 'she'll all be over by Easter/by second semester/by Christmas' it was uneasy as I had no idea when I'd be back in Melbourne for work. I effectively lived through the Melbourne lockdowns by distance and worked 20 hour days to put courses online for my students. Building this costume, stitch by stitch acted as a form of escapism and a tangeable goal. This costume was meant to be finished for a display at the State Library of Victoria in June 2020 which ... well the costume wasn't finished by that time and the display never happened. I slowly stitched and glued and swore my way through making her, eventually pulling her together in time for the Oceanic Esports Cosplay Cup and somehow coming first runner up. Making this complicated costume from a pile of scrap fabric gave me a loose goal and a sense of acheivement that wasn't present in my daily job where I felt like I was barely able to meet my obligations to my students.' -Female participant #cosplay #costume #escape #fabric #fatego #fategocosplay #game #gaming #goal #handwoven #lockdown2020 #lockdownlife #mentalhealth #pandemic #resilience #sewing #tanamonomae #textiles #wfh #wfhlife #wfhstyle

'I received this record player from my friends in early 2021 and I have used it ever since. A record player was always something that I really wanted, but there was a hesitancy in buying it for myself because it was a big investment in terms of money. So when I received it I was really ecstatic. The record player supported me through the pandemic through encouraging me to focus on music and to take time to be in my own headspace. Listening to the music and watching the record spin, it really just let me zone out and destress from all the stimulation that I was constantly receiving from digital technology.' -Male participant #analogue #analoguecommunity #analoguemusic #audio #audiotechnica #headspace #everydayobjects #investment #lockdown #lockdownlife #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness #music #musica #música #record #recordplayer #resilience

'During the Victorian lockdowns, I was fortunate to be living in an inner-city area where many cafes were walking distance within my 5km limit. One of my main activities/form of entertainment during this time was to walk to a cafe and get a take-away coffee. This became the most exciting outing that was available to me! I gained a lot of pleasure by getting outside, talking to the baristas and cafe staff, and using my Keepcup basically every day. Although not all cafes actually took Keepcups during this time due to health and safety concerns, it was still something I liked to bring in order to be environmentally friendly/save cafes the expense of a cardboard cup during a time when many were struggling financially. It was a great motivator and excuse to go outside with a purpose (as eating/drinking was one of only a few reasons we were allowed to go out for quite some time in Melbourne). It supported my mental wellbeing by enabling me to be out in nature, talking to cafe staff, getting exercise, and supporting businesses with a small financial contribution. I was living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment with my partner during this time, so there wasn't a lot of space indoors to find refuge in. Taking my Keepcup out and about was a really memorable experience for me during a difficult time!' -Female participant #café #caffè #caffeine #coffee #cup #environment #environmentdesign #everydayobjects #everydayresilience #exercisemotivation #keepcup #health #healthylifestyle #healthandsafety #lockdown #lockdownlife #melbournecafes #mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #mentalwellbeingmatters #movimento #objects #resilience #safety #saluteebenessere #sustainable #sustainableliving #victorianlockdown