Dwelling

I started this series, Dwelling, during lockdown. Our worlds became smaller as we were confined to our homes, with our lives upended. The spaces we occupied - every room, every nook and cranny - took on new meaning as we created our own miniature worlds, microcosms in which to wait out the pandemic. Our homes became sanctuaries, or prisons for some. As my own world shrank, I created this series to miniature scale (1:25 scale), partly out of necessity as I worked within the confines of a second floor apartment. Creating these different worlds allowed my mind to travel to imaginary places, to explore the stories and lives of other people. Although the owners of the apartments are absent, you can sense their stories as you wander within their four walls. They leave an autobiographical trace, imbuing objects - furniture, books, and clutter - with meaning. Despite the geography of the room remaining consistent (windows to the left, corridor on the right) on each floor of the block, each apartment looks completely different. Each room, a different story. I wanted to explore how people can reside next to one another for decades, and yet live entirely separate lives. Solitude despite proximity. As you go further up the block of flats and into the sky, the apartments start to take on dream-like qualities, perhaps the dreams and nightmares of the apartment owners below.