My Basement
Before coming to the United States, I had never been in a basement before. This work compresses all of the uncanny elements of a basement into my work. I always felt restrained whenever I was in the basement. This constraint brought me back to memories of being in a closet as a child. In this way, it was important to amplify the feeling by reducing the scale. The claustrophobic element of a basement amplifies my experience of it. In the installation, viewers experience a distinct cool temperature (much cooler than outside of the work), common sounds (from recording in the basement: water pipes, a boiler, a mouse chewing, footsteps), basement smell (mold, humidity, concrete), and darkness in the work. When this piece was exhibited, children gravitated toward it and went inside. Adults complained of getting dirty and aching backs. This suggests that the scale of my piece is not only a physical fit for children, but it also appeals to their sense of security in small spaces.
-Exhibition venue: Chace Center at Rhode Island School of Design (USA)