What is interesting about material history is often not objects in themselves, but what they infer about their social environments. Using the example of the AGA oven, it can be argued that its transnational nature lies in its links into wider issues; how efficiency ideals combine with emotion and tradition to be appropriated in different contexts.
The AGA is a Swedish invention from 1922 which, from the outset, was invented to increase efficiency in the kitchen. It was designed to be multi-purpose as a cooker, laundry-dryer, hot water heater and general heat source. From Sweden it travelled to Britain in 1929, which is now the main manufacturer of AGAs. An interesting question to ask is why the AGA has not remained popular in Sweden, its origin country, but has become an icon in British culture where several separate designs such as the British Rayburn and Irish Stanley ovens have been developed from the original AGA. The answer might lie in cultural ideals. Whereas Sweden is typically seen as a liberal and environmentally responsible country driven by modern design, Britain remains rooted in traditions. Thus, the AGA at the heart of the middle-class countryside home is also at the heart of a form of British identity.
The AGA was progressive in the 1920s, and therefore rooted in modernity. However, its unaltered design now also connects it to the past. The synthesis of influences and national input in creating this particular oven makes it interesting, but what drives its status is, above all, how people relate emotionally to a piece of technology used primarily for cooking. The AGA is a lifestyle, a beating heart of the home and a friend. How people respond to this in different places, and emotionally engage with an object in different cultural circumstances creates a sense of universal experience. Even today, the AGA is increasingly popular in certain places in France, but rarely used in Scandinavia. This is also an indication of environmental policies, although the company has responded to this by creating a new AGA model that has electronic controls and can be switched on and off which, in its turn, reflects wider global responses to public demand for more environmentally conscious consumer items.
The AGA is an example of the transmission of ideas and inventions across borders, and demonstrates different ideals being appropriated in different contexts. Its enduring, largely unaltered, design and successful impact in different cultural conditions thus give it resonance in transnational history. What can be inferred from this, and the range of questions it raises is, however, what is truly exciting. For further exploration of this, see my forthcoming project on kitchen efficiency and development.
The narrative and imagery you create with the AGA is really amazing. I see a product that represented design and efficiency for one culture but was transmitted into a more homely role in Britain. Each culture’s perceptions of the over reflect the power of materials in shaping cultures, identities, ideas of progress etc..
I wonder, from my knowledge the AGA was popular in the 20s, maybe 30s, 40s and 50s, but how was it received in later times. Why is (a product so representative of a Swedish culture) it no longer a staple in Scandinavian, but still used in Britain and France (and maybe other areas?). In a contemporary world that strives for the most innovative forms of technology, has the AGA transformed with the times?
Through this post and speaking to you last week briefly about the concept and foundations of national cultures made me question the interconnectivity and fluidity of identity. From this study, I begin to realize how materials can be shaped and transformed to act as a symbol of values differently in different cultures. It leads me to question the solidarity of some of these national identities?