Mixed-media gallery installation
Materials: Wood, paint, clothing, wallpaper, concrete, detritus
Dimensions: 20 (L) x 12 (W) x 8 (H) ft.
Completed: 2017
This work is inspired by the specific dimensions of my 240-square-foot micro-unit apartment, located at the corner of Hastings Street and Columbia in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. It is within this immediate environment, surrounding my home, that the visible and jarring contradictions of modern urban living reach their zenith and fuse together: the juxtaposition of renewal and decay, the divide between wealth and poverty, the shifting boundaries of public versus private space, the coexistence of healthy and unhealthy bodies, and the tension between formal and informal economies. This environment encapsulates a delicate balance between conformity and outright anarchy.
The entire free-standing structure is constructed from wooden crossbeams and 8 ft. x 4 ft. sheets of plywood, meticulously mimicking the spatial layout of my apartment. The plywood panels display, both inside and outside the structure, either spray-painted, multi-layered textual “sayings” sourced from the streets of my neighbourhood or decorative wallpaper and wooden trim. Each side of the structure presents a dialogue; whatever is displayed on one side is mirrored on the opposite, creating a visual conversation between the two.
Randomly cut small holes (1-inch diameter) punctuate the wood panels, through which small scraps of found clothing are jammed and pulled. These scraps are visible on the text-based side, while they remain concealed by the wallpaper on the opposite side, creating subtle bulges that catch the viewer's eye and invite closer inspection.
Inside the structure, in the far back corner, an assemblage of concrete blocks and clothing awaits. The clothing, collected from the streets of the surrounding community, has been twisted and bound together with inexpensive plastic ties, forming long tendril-like wrappings. These tendrils are fastened to the top of the structure, woven together, and draped over the stacked concrete blocks, creating a canopy-like effect. A powerful orange sodium light, nestled underneath, bathes the interior in an eerie warm glow, enhancing the atmosphere of the space.