Safely Standing

Safely Standing, concrete, mortar and glass, 2015. Image credit: Lazaros
Safely Standing, concrete, mortar and glass, 2015. Image credit: Lazaros
Safely Standing, concrete, mortar and glass, 2015. Image credit: Lazaros
Safely Standing, concrete, mortar and glass, 2015. Image credit: Lazaros
Safely Standing, concrete, mortar and glass, 2015. Image credit: Lazaros

For the 4th Ghetto Biennale in Port – Au – Prince I made Safely Standing, an architectural response to a place where many buildings came done in the earthquake of 2010.

On the foundation of a former residence, three walls stood at angles to each other on a tiled floor, talismanically protecting the surrounding area. The foundation, exposed to the elements, became a ceramic carpet, demarcating a territory that was once indoors, the footprint of a home. The original exterior walls were broken down and removed, and now this space acts as a courtyard open to the elements. It is a place where objects are in a state of suspension, a state of waiting.

When I arrived to Port – Au – Prince at night, on my journey to where I was staying I saw many boundary walls surrounding properties, with broken glass embedded on top – like barbed wire – to stop and resist intrusion. These barriers, made to protect a home, are the inspiration behind Safely Standing. Walls, by their very nature, protect and provide shelter. These walls, however, provide neither, but encase within them a certain defensiveness. A desire to resist an external gaze.

Interview with Clocktower Radio