An invasion of privacy? Miranda Trimmier's 'Thick Sleep'

By Sheila Regan Thu., Feb. 16 2012 at 9:31 AM

Categories: Art

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"Thick Sleep," a new installation by Miranda Trimmier, is not for the tentative. It takes a certain amount of courage to walk into a stranger's home in the middle of the night, and that's precisely what is required if you want to see this project.

The hours of the exhibition were originally set from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., but have been extended to begin at the more reasonable hour of 9 p.m. Regardless, it's quite dark outside at that time, and it feels odd to be skulking about a random house and sneaking inside through the cellar door.

The door in question is one that opens upward from the ground, and you must navigate a narrow, scary looking staircase in order to open another door into the basement.

The cellar isn't what you might expect. Far from dingy or dark, it is quite brightly lit, with a fresh coat of lime-green paint on the walls and cupboards. In fact, it seems like a very ordinary hallway. You might even wonder for a moment if you're at an art installation at all.

"What's all this hair on the ground?" you might think at first. The hair then becomes more pronounced as you walk along, creeping through the cracks in the floor, in the crevices you might otherwise overlook if the hair sticking out didn't appear so odd.

You open the cupboard. "Ew!" Mouse turds? Nope. It's actually art made to look like mouse turds. Above, there are giant larvae-type things which might be frightening for a second if you happen to be afraid of giant spiders. But don't worry; they're art, too.

There's more hair in the electrical box, with an ornate, mouse-turd necklace. As you continue to explore the place, you'll find more creepy artifacts. But they don't compare to the unsettling feeling of being in someone's basement. The exhibit dances on that invisible line between the personal and private. While the work itself certainly wouldn't be considered the latter, the fact that you feel as if you are lurking in someone's space tends toward the former.

There's a dangerous feeling about the whole thing. The encroachment upon private space is complimented by the remnants of supposed critters. The visitor, in fact, becomes the rodent that sneaks its way through the holes in the foundation to find shelter during the winter months. In the work, Trimmier welcomes this trespass, and offers a world that is both vulnerable, and generous.

IF YOU GO:

"Thick Sleep"
Event runs through Saturday, February 18
Hours: 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Visit the Facebook event page for the address and additional details