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Reece Terris Ought Apartment 2009 Detail / photo Rachel Topham |
Ought Apartment’s scaffolding also symbolizes the ongoing condominium development in Vancouver, the condensing of public, urban space; this is further captured in the layout changes that occur from one apartment to the next. Every detail has been considered when personalizing the private spaces, from the bits of gold shag carpet installed at the edge of the gallery’s marble staircase to the placement of cards and a candy dish on the 1950s coffee table.
Terris’ artwork also encourages us to think about how consumerism shapes us as individuals. As I walked through the apartments, I was inspired to take on the role of detective, searching for clues to the personalities that belonged to each of the homes. One pop culture artifact I observed speaks well to the blending of public and private in personal and cultural identity—it was a framed photo of Princess Diana on a kitchen counter of the 1990s apartment, seen only from a distance across the space of the rotunda on the third floor of the gallery.
Throughout my encounters with Ought Apartment, I became increasingly aware of my position, both physical and mental, and became increasingly sensitive to how this position was influencing my perception and therefore my experience and interpretation of the work. It would seem that the next step is to expand the conversation away from nostalgia and towards the social implications of our individual relationships with consumerism. (750 Hornby St, Vancouver BC)
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Reece Terris Ought Apartment 2009 Detail / photo Rachel Topham |
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