I like working with wood and spend a decent amount of time doing it. I find it satisfying on a number of levels, not least of which is the end result is usually (not always!) something useful. But another way I find it gratifying is that, if I do my job correctly, the piece of furniture I build will outlast me. In fact, the footstool I just completed out of red oak could easily be in use 200 years from now, it's usefulness the same as it is today. Heirlooms are these types of objects. They are things that get passed down gaining value as they go.
So what is it that makes an object heirloom quality? And are there modern objects today that will meet the criteria? I look around me at all the electronic gadgetry and say to myself that "none of this is worth passing down". But why? Is it because I know it won't work 100 years from now? I know that old radios get passed down, but not because you can use them to listen to Coldplay. It's because they represent a different era and frankly look good as furniture. Is it that I know the usefulness will be rendered obsolete by new devices? Am I just oblivious to what future generations might find valuable? I don't know. But I can say, from personal experience, that objects gain value (and earn some heirloom points) if they have been loved by their owner. Sounds a bit hokey but bear with me. Things you would never buy in a million years become invaluable to you if you know, for example, that your great-grandfather used it to do X or your grandmother had it when Y happened. My point is, regardless of the designers intention, a user's love and history with an object helps increase its value. So back to these gadgets lying around. I use my cellphone all the time but I don't love it. I would never think of it as an heirloom. Same goes for my xBox, iPod and digital camera. It's not a craftsmanship issue. All these devices are superb examples of extraordinary engineering. So what is it? Why does my footstool rank immediately and my flat screen TV does not? Is it because I made the footstool myself? Ahhh. Maybe that helps. And maybe things that are the result of a DIY effort belong in a separate category because in many (most?) cases DIY projects imply a sort of love, a type of devotion and passion. The sweater my Mom knit is far from perfect, in fact it's downright screwed up, but I love it because she made it. Maybe (maybe...) an electronic gadget stands a better chance of achieving heirloom status if it is the result of a devoted DIYer, does something useful and shows signs of the love it received during its creation. Its humanity if you will.
I'm not sure what the point of all this is, only that I find myself thinking about it more often now. So much of my work is high tech. How much of it is going to be remembered in the future? Not by history necessarily, but by my children and grandchildren? It's an interesting question.
