Interiors & Interiority
The self is not physical. It is symbolic. It is “in” the body but rarely completely in the body. A person is where he believes his self to be; or, more technically, the body is an object in the field of the self. It is one of the things we inhabit.
A man’s “Me” is the sum total of all that he can call his, not only his body and his mind, but his clothes and house, his wife and children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and works, his lands and horses, his yacht and his bank-account.
In other words, the human animal can be symbolically located wherever he feels a part of him really exists or belongs. This is important for an understanding of the bitter fighting between social classes for social status: an individual’s house in a posh neighborhood can be more a part of his self-image than his own arm.
When people do not have self-esteem they cannot act, they break down.
The Birth and Death of Meaning - Ernest Becker
A site-specific, highly personalized and nuanced home renovation project was undertaken for a long time friend, his family and their extended social circle. The project was conceived during the pandemic lockdown when work-from-home conditions required stretching the notions and facilities of a home to also accommodate professional work space (both tangible and intangible).
As an artist and a maker, my intentions were to apply a function-over-form approach to interventional design strategies, taking cues from the principles of socially engaged community / interactive art.
The focal point of my research on the site and its surroundings was the occupants' physical bodies, their habits, and their personal interests - both in their physical and symbolic manifestations. This focus guided me in developing designs for all the furniture and in renovating select portions of the residence.
