Week 3: Domestic Interiors
A re-nesting occurs as our nature inclines us to adapt quickly, we find ourselves turning our new cages back into the cozy homes we once loved. Rearranging, cleaning behind furniture, and noticing parts of our homes we haven't seen before, we both evolve and revert with this exercise as we find a new way to live by adopting an old one.
Curated by Pam Marlene Taylor and Kaylan Buteyn.
Click photos below to see more detail.
What have become your favorite places, or sanctuaries, in your home, and what spaces do you find yourself avoiding?
Carlie Trosclair: Porches have always been a sanctuary for me. The security and comfort of your home at your back, while facing forward to the possibility of unknown encounters: nature, passersby, etc. An intermediary between public and private.
Dana Robinson: I have always loved my room, having a space with a door I can close has always felt like a privilege to me and I really value it. The place I end up just not going in my house is the room where people exercise. I prefer to exercise naked in my room.
Rachael Zur: My studio is in my garage at home, and it remains my sanctuary. My husband and I have become very fond of our front porch to sit on in the late afternoon. We tell our kids that we're on a date when we sit out there so that we can have a little time together. I'm avoiding my children's rooms. Those spaces have become messier, and to some extent I think that's okay-- kids have a lot going on right now too with shifting to online learning and managing their own frustrations with the pandemic. It's important that we're all gentle with each other right now as we find our new rhythm, so I'm turning a bit of a blind eye to toys and socks lying about.
Sharon Berke: I am a maker, and am happiest when I have a project. Our home is small, so my maker spaces are temporary. I love my makeshift sewing spot in our sunny living room. I also love to work at my kitchen table, facing the pink wall. There isn't anywhere I actively avoid, though now that my boys are teenagers, I do try to stay out of their space.
Sarah Arriagada: We live in a very small home so a favorite place has actually been the space surrounding it: our yard. With spring finally arriving to our little corner of the world, I have been enjoying every beam of sunshine, every bird song, every gentle breeze, the green juicy grass and the many blossoms around me. They remind me of the inevitability of life and inspire hope in me.
Natalie Beall: My absolute favorite place in my home is my screened-in porch, which becomes another room of the house six months out of the year. The weather in upstate New York is still too cold to use it much, so I have been pining for it even more that we are spending so much time at home. I have always had an attraction/repulsion relationship with my studio, depending on what was happening in there, but during the past few weeks I have had fond feelings towards it. It of course provides me with space to work, but lately it has also doubled as virtual meeting space. I love that people who wouldn't normally see me in my studio can now see me there during zoom meetings! I spent a lot of time at home before social distancing began, so my relationship to it hasn't changed much. I absolutely avoid going into my attic if at all possible–there are critters up there.
Shahnaz Lighari: Since staying at home I have enjoyed spending my mornings in my small backyard reading and journaling. It can be very easy to get caught up in the news and our own thoughts while confined to the home. Spending this time outdoors allows me to reset and see that life is still going on and much, within my immediate surroundings, is yet unchanged despite the chaotic times.
Nina Zdanovic: It depends on the time of the day, actually! In the mornings I like to spend time in the kitchen or, right now during sakura season here on Tokyo, I like to my morning coffee on balcony - I have a huge sakura tree blooming right next to me. In the afternoons, while there is still sunlight, I work in the studio in my apartment, and in the evenings, when my partner comes home from work, we spend in the living room under the kotatsu.