• Finding love: The materialities of love-locks and geocaches

    Author(s):
    Ceri Houlbrook, Adam Parker (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Group(s):
    Archaeology
    Subject(s):
    Archaeology, Twentieth century, Twenty-first century, Material culture, Phenomenology
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Geocache, Lovelock, assemblage, Contemporary archaeology
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/px7j-mq31
    Abstract:
    This article is the product of a collaboration between a folklorist researching the global phenomenon of love-locks (padlocks attached to public structures in declaration of romantic commitment) and an archaeologist who also happens to be a player of ‘Geocaching’ (a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices). A chance discussion between the two revealed significant overlaps between love-locking and geocaching, despite the two practices being divergent in function and intention. Some overlaps are tangible, with love-locks forming an integral component of a number of geocaches worldwide. Other overlaps are theoretical, with both practices resulting in contemporary assemblages, or ‘serial collaborative creations’, fundamentally driven by the relationships between objects, places and human participants. The question driving this article is: what can we learn about these two seemingly different customs by considering where they overlap?
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.1177/1359183520959373
    Publisher:
    SAGE Publications
    Pub. Date:
    2020-9-25
    Journal:
    Journal of Material Culture
    ISSN:
    1359-1835,1460-3586
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    Attribution-NonCommercial

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