Recall is the third project of The House Phase Installation Series.  These site-specific installations are based on my parents’ hand-built adobe home in northern China. The installations take on a simple one-room-house structure, and are built using a wide range of materials, from traditional adobe bricks (see The Little House Stands On the Prairie), to delicate 8-foot-long wax drips.

Recall was made from approximately 600 hand-made wax drips. These delicate wax drips measure 5 to 8 feet in height, and shatter easily with a light touch . Suspended in the center of the space, the installation echoes the angle of the rafters and the roof of the barn. Sun light falls through the gaps in the roof, and projects hundreds of light circles, which glide across the space and the house structure throughout the day. The house form reminds viewers of a familiar domestic space, though the fragility of the material calls for uncertainty within the viewer about a house and what it stands for; shelter, protection and home.

The 1900’s cattle barn that hosted the installation, Woodside, CA

Recall de-instalation

photo by Frank Foreman

In the rural Chinese dwellings, people typically use one light bulb for the entire house. Recall was re-installed at GalleryOne using a single light bulb in the center of the piece. Dramatic strips of shadow sway on both the floor and the surrounding walls. As the viewer enter the piece, his/her shadow affects the lighting and dimming of the space, and become part of the installation.

Recall (shadow) at WCC GalleryOne