Advanced Sculpture, 2014

Project 2: Place

Quick Fire:

Project 2: Mirrored Chamber
Intention Statement

For this place-oriented work, my intention was to immerse my audience within a an intriguing but uncomfortable state as they were placed into a space that forced them to be fully aware of themselves and, in a way, delve deeper into their own mindset.  I intended to build a space made from mirrors and decorated with flashing lights so as to make the space intriguing, interactive, and somewhat whimsical. I emphasized the whimsicality of the space by using color-changing lighting, which made the space mind and mood-altering as well as psychedelic. Yet the whimsicality then shifts to discomfort as the viewer spends more time in the space and is forced to confront themselves both physically as well as mentally and emotionally because they are completely surrounded by nothing but their own multiplied image.

As the viewer experiences the space, they move around and interact with their multiple reflections. Yet as they spend more time with themselves, they begin examining their own bodies and focusing less on the piece and more on their physical appearance as well as insecurities. Mirrors act as a looking glass into the physical but also into the mental and emotional because one uses a mirror to view themselves which can lead to either self-assurance or self-criticism. This piece was intended to do just that—to mimic the effect of mirrors on one’s perception of themselves. The work was intended to make the viewer realize themself and become uncomfortable. Going further into this idea of delving into one’s mindset and the discomfort that arrives from that, I had my viewers enter and exit from underneath the piece. The chamber was not easily enterable nor did it allow for an easy exit. This somewhat awkward and discomforting process of entering and exiting is metaphoric for how one enters into their thoughts and is sometimes overcome by those thoughts to the point that escaping them is a challenge.

I engaged place in my work by reimagining the mind and self-perception as a chamber of mirrors and colors. I created a space that uses the reflective properties of the mirror as a way to impose self-reflection and the changing lights and colors as way to create a mood for the viewer. I also engaged place by playing on spatial orientation and the perception of space. With having the mirrors facing one another, I was able to create the effect of multiple reflections and distort the perception of the space as something much larger, vast, and infinite similar to Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Room. Structurally, I engaged my audience in the space by create a circular (decagon) shape that would allow the audience to view the space from 360 degree view as well as move around the piece on the inside and outside. I also engaged my audience with the space by having them enter and exit from underneath the chamber within a very limiting height. This helped to emphasize the discomfort and metaphoric reference to engaging and disengaging oneself in self-reflection.

If I could go back, I would improve my weakest area which lied primarily in the structure of the piece. When constructing the mirrors, I should have laid the mirrors flat on top of one another rather than standing up to prevent warping. I also should have further considered lighting and having the full effect of lighting within a dark setting. If I could revisit this project I would have made placed the chamber into a darker area or placed dark cloth around it so as to allow give way to the full effect of the lighting. I would have also changed the way the viewer enters and exits the piece. Instead of entering and exiting from underneath the chamber, there could be some kind of door way or cloth put in place so that the viewer could easily get in and out of the chamber.