Sinking
2023, installation, cotton, chicken wire, fabric, gaffer tape , paper mache clay, paper towel
“Sinking” (2023) is a floor circular installation shaped almost like a puddle.
To enter the piece, the audience is asked to take off their shoes and step across the fragile frame to enter the soft pillow/mattress. Its size is perfect to sit in but too small to lay down. If the audience wishes to lay down they will be forced to bend their legs and be put in the position like a baby still in the womb. Placing the installation in an open space is exposing the action of resting.
The working progress contains labor of layering the materials to strengthen the structure. Finding a safe place can be arduous, often requiring great effort and time, which can justify the decision to stay in a safe space longer than when one is seeking to just take a break. Wu wants to leave this as an open ended question for her audience - does the existence of safe space become a lair for escaping reality?
