room project proposal (caroline)

Human vanity: the hair on our heads, the lipstick on our lips and the walls in our building--I've chosen to take advantage of the space in which we work and treat it as a little piece of architectural vanity, directly in relation to human vanity. To achieve that, I've selected lipstick and hair--two common things associated with vanity in our society, and ideally, I'd like to place those things in what I view as the most aesthetically concerned part of the building. That space, being the tiny, narrow staircase leading to the roof, or non-5th floor--it's a space that is thoughtfully laid out, given a window, a skylight, a painted ceiling and is maintained as well the rest of the building, the difference is that it is hidden from the interaction of the building's inhabitants. This is indeed fascinating to me. It's like dressing up to never leave the house. Or polishing an automobile that doesn't leave the garage. It's a mysterious, intriguing and quite frankly, a beautiful space and I'd like to take it, apply these two forms of physical vanity that I have chosen to investigate and turn this purely aesthetic space into literally, a living space.

To live in vain, in a literal sense, and in a space that serves little function as it is.

That said, this particular space's only apparent serious health and safety issue is a green fire exit sign leading down the stairs (as defunct as they are), which can easily be worked with, as long as the staircase is still useable and not blocked off from access. This is the issue: I realize that by using this space, I am breaking the guidelines of the project, and for that reason I have also transfered my reasoning and concept to two other spaces, though I do find them less effective for what I'm looking to do.

I've begun an investigation into how exactly lipstick is made and have contacted a few manufacturers and will soon attempt to make my own for the project. As for hair, I've arranged to collect that which is leftover at the end of each day at (thus far) seven hair salons in east London.

The details of the outcome are uncertain as I expect it all to develop along the way. Through the creation of models and preliminary experimentation with materials, I've determined that I'll use my two mediums to execute a sort of domestic interior environment, possibly wallpaper and carpet, or light fixtures, or a piece of furniture, made specifically for the space and mimicking the visual effect of the area. The main concern at this point is that the piece be friendly: I want to the viewer to be able to touch and interact with it.

It will take a couple more days of investigation and research to determine the exact plan, however, I have complete faith in that I will be able to execute my plan within the given time constraints and am truly enthusiastic for what is to come, whether it be a success or failure.