My act of gifting
In this specific context, I view gifting as an altruistic exchange. When giving a gift, various factors must be considered to ensure it is successful in its intent. To gift can be the reason of multiple happenings, it can be an act of kindness, a thank you or a celebration. It can also be part of politics, acts of politeness, an apology or as a routine ritual. I have disregarded the act of gifting with malicious intent, putting in question if it can even be considered gifting. With malicious intent I mean instances of bribery, justification of wrong-doings or satisfying your own needs by transmitting something to a recipient.
It's important to acknowledge that gifting involves an exchange, as Marcel Mauss argues in his essay 'The Gift.”. To consider are also certain factors of duty connected to the act of gifting, the duty of giving, the duty of receiving and the duty of reciprocating. I believe gifting can embody altruism while still fostering stronger bonds between giver and recipient.
Within this definition I have set certain guidelines for gifting to clarify its intent, meaning and relation when I give. Here, the gift is an addition of something, an excessiveness that would not necessarily have been required otherwise. A physical gift should not burden the recipient. It should be of appropriate scale and relevance to them. Additionally, importantly, the gift should not imply that the recipient is inadequate or requires improvement.
I prefer gifts that fulfill desires rather than immediate needs. In regards to the current context, gifting represents an abundance of care. Helping is something you should do, gifting is something you could do. Gifting often becomes an experiment; you can not reveal what you are gifting until the recipient is receiving it, and here you become an observer, analyzing the reaction resulting from the act. In this case, the goal is an exchange of positive emotion, the recipient acquires something beyond payment, and the giver gains a feeling of accomplishment, having thought, prepared and materialized something in the world of another.
It is the thought that counts.
My gift should be an act of care, an act of thought, that can manifest itself as thing, experience, activity, food, precious materials, words, artifacts and much more.By gifting, we entangle ourselves with the recipient, part of us becoming present in their existence as they accept the gift. It does not matter what happens to the gift, whether it be stored in the basement, opened and drank immediately, worn or never worn, it is something from us, that becomes something of theirs.
It is my intent to give the house an excessive object as a gift, that can be left to the house during its days of celebration before being demolished. It is my intention that the gift shall leave the house with something luxurious, something it does not need but something that makes the general content of the house different than before receiving the gift. A gift that is appropriate for the house, however not needed for the house. I hope that it in various spaces can generate a new space, making the architectural result of receiving a gift present. In exchange I hope to further my bond with the house, to leave the house with a higher sense of fulfillment and a place worth receiving.