Iconic consciousness: the material feeling of meaningÀ

concrete in a compelling and original way. In high culture, this is the challenge for the artist. In the world of the everyday, it is the challenge for the designer, and also for the lay person, the bricoleur who assembles his or her objects, laying them out or putting them on, as in DIY, or `do it yourself'. Consider the following conversation between two women who encounter each other on the street outside the salon: `̀ I love the way you've done your hair.'' `̀ I like this new style, don't you?'' `̀You've done a great job with it.'' `̀ I found a new product.'' `̀Where did you find it?'' `̀ In Elle, and there it was, in the front window of the salon.'' `̀Well, your hair looks good. That product's special. I've never seen that color in your hair. You look amazing!'' If the artist gets the combination right, his object becomes great art. It can be hung in any home or museum, anywhere, at any time. It has achieved a `̀ surplus of meaning''; uniquely compelling in the here and now, it can also be compelling in the later and faraway.(4) When the designer and lay person get it right, their surface assemblages draw us into the discourse of society. It is not just the form that excites, but the experiences of meaning that forms carry.(5) (4) For the idea of a `surplus of meaning', see Ricoeur (1977). (5) For bricoleur, see Lëvi-Strauss (1967); for assemblage, see Latour (2005). 786 J C Alexander