Rep(Air)

Rep(AIR) is an olfactory interface that brings attention to wear and breakage on a bicycle as part of an autobiographical design inquiry. This work extends the discourse on repair to include moments of wear, maintenance, and care as a part of the ongoing process of everyday use; recenters functionality to the human-object team, rather than the object alone; highlights teamwork and collaboration as a way to challenge the hierarchical human-object narrative; and shows the role of Rep(AIR) as a tool which gave the bicycle a voice—revealing the often uncommunicated experience of wear and tear on an object.