Artist: Monica Canilao
Location: Washington D.C. USA
Year of Completion: 2012
Researcher: Jessica Fiala
Home Mender turned a vacant Police Evidence Warehouse into an immersive installation constructed from discarded and recycled materials gathered from across the country. During the 4-month installation, the space was further transformed into a community gathering site that hosted pop up performances by touring musicians.
Home Mender also participated in Lumen8 Anacostia, an ArtsPlace project dedicated to reinvigorating the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington D.C. through artistic projects using light to revive vacant spaces. The project was commissioned by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) as part of the 2012 5x5 program - a project that supported 25 temporary public art installations across the city.
Home Mender's carefully crafted handmade and DIY aesthetic created a marked counterpoint to the site's previous role as a storehouse for evidence from federal crimes. The work functioned to enliven a vacant site and also held the potential to serve as a starting point toward shifting perceptions of a site formerly associated with law enforcement and criminality.
All copyright belongs to Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University.
