VACANCY
The Netherlands 2022 / a well, a carpet hanger, and a shrine (pilar divided into two parts, a lamp and a plexiglass house leaning on a tree, 4 buckets, 4 cups, and a shelf (in the same color as the bench nearby, standing on bricks but not attached to them), 100 books
At first, I tried to translate a landscape from my homeland by recreating it in the school garden. The things I built were inspired by the backyards I remembered from home—and perhaps other places as well—but definitely not from the landscape where I was working. People migrate, and places often look similar; they carry their homes with them, though they can’t take the land itself. Before I left, I wanted to bring a piece of the landscape from my previous country with me. However, as I began working, I became lost in the process. Lacking skills and afraid to ask for help, I struggled and failed. Yet, I learned the rules set by the land. Now that the project is over, I miss the process, and I feel like I never truly finished. I’ve left it open for you to take over. The buckets are the same color as the cups, but you can’t drink from the well. Without a rope, you can’t reach the water. The shrine is in pieces—either not assembled or perhaps dismantled; leaning against a tree, with the light left on its own. The flower is placed in a funny spot, meant for a Saint who isn’t there, maybe he has escaped.
