bricolage (fre) media n. a way of using everyday objects for new, unintended symbolic purposes; a form of symbolic re-cycling. In classic cases of cultural bricolage, an everyday object such as a safety pin is taken from its primary field in first aid or child care and re-cast symbolically as a brooch or some other form of ornamentation. Bricolage is often the characteristic work of particular sub-cultural groups and is a resource for defining their distinctive style. The re-appropriation of the safety pin was a common symbolic theme in the dress of punks. mmo
