Break Room, 2021 - 2023
A series of free, interactive installations within publicly accessible vending machines.
Break Room (SAD Lamp), 2022
205 Hudson Gallery, New York
My theory of the break room is that of a liminal space—an in-between but still literal place within a larger institutional structure where people can temporarily escape the pressures of work. These breaks (lunch break, smoke breaks, now “bio breaks”) are never quite long enough and often surveilled by management. The installation Break Room imitates the aesthetics and forms of a corporate office break room, including a floor of carpet tiles, a drop ceiling, vinyl wall trim, and a water cooler. However, the function of the room is altered by the hacking of a vending machine into a giant SAD (Seasonal
Affective Disorder) lamp, creating a space of healing, contemplation, and ultimately a small rupture in work-time.
Break Room was installed within the Hunter MFA studio building as a communal space for just over 6 months in the winter of 2021-2022. The above image is from a 2022 gallery installation of the work at 205 Hudson Gallery in New York.
Lending Library, 2022
205 Hudson Gallery, New York
Lending Library is a vending machine that displays and distributes books. By making a selection with the keypad on the righthand side of the machine, users are able to borrow/vend books and optionally return them via a book return slot. The books in this iteration are sourced from the artist’s personal collection, including topics such as technology, labor, cyberfeminism, surveillance, speculative design, and the history of the university. It also includes office poetry and an artists book illustrating 30+ ideas for additional vending machine installations.
Karaoke Lounge, 2022
205 Hudson Gallery, NY
The Karaoke Lounge is a vending machine transformed into a giant karaoke machine, complete with a speaker, microphone, tambourine, disco lights, and touchscreen song selector. Viewers can select a song from the touchscreen or sing along with a preselected playlist that is (optionally) constantly playing at a low volume.
Guided Meditation Machine, 2022
205 Hudson Gallery, New York
The Guided Meditation Machine is a vending machine that provides users with a series of audio and visual guided meditations. Viewers can choose from three meditations via different colored labeled buttons, and listen to the audio via a dedicated set of headphones. Visually, a screensaver-like animation is projected from inside the machine, constantly changing color and shape, creating a rhythmic loop for the eye.
The meditations include: an exercise about work read by the artist, a grounding meditation for R.E.S.T. by Rashid Hughes, and a debt visualization by artist sgp.