Box-fan Generator: Wilderness and Household

Wilderness and Household merges two parts of contemporary “western” life: internal domestic routine and the industrialized space surrounding us. Repurposed home appliances and pieces of rebar pulled out of Chicago’s urban landscape are brought together though the idea of conservation and consumption. By reworking the functionality of domestic appliances like a box-fan and a freezer we turn it into a metaphor and magnify our dependence on these devices.

The box-fan and the freezer tell about the use of electricity, the taxation on resources and ground the viewer in this particular moment. The cord plugged into an outlet is drawing energy to power one of the box fans that is blowing on the converted box-fan to generate a minimal amount of electricity. This action intensifies the absurdity but at the same time draws on the necessity of electricity.

Our transparent freezer is made out of acrylic, aluminum and exposed cooling mechanism. A neutral domestic object is turned into an object of display, bringing up the importance of one cultural symbol – a raw porterhouse steak. This unfolds another side of consumption – need and desire.

Through the development of Wilderness and Household, we reinterpret the discourse about overconsumption and bring up the absurdity of any extreme beliefs.