Light Booth, 2015
Steel, paper shades, one-way mirror, LED lights
36 x 72 x 73”
The buttons challenge the participants’ willingness to reveal themselves to strangers. Once one participant sums up the courage to reveal him/herself, the other may feel obligated to do the same. The process of presenting oneself to a stranger, and having him/her reciprocate one’s action provides the basis of a simple emotional connection. Once both lights are on, both participants can make eye contact and examine each other without the pressure of being misinterpreted, as would happen outside the playful atmosphere of this structure. The two strangers now engage in an act of mutual inspection in an attempt to comprehend each other. The suspicion and distrust that permeates stranger interaction in our society is thus temporarily replaced with curiosity. The two strangers then exit the structure after this ritual with a subtle understanding of each other.