Miya Kosowick Mawatari
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Works 2023
How long does it take for something to feel real? 2023
Stone wallpaper, Amazon-bought lace curtain, found bricks, cement, grass, dirt
Dimensions variable
How long does it take for something to feel real? intends to question notions of time, maintenance and heritage. Borrowing elements inspired by Victorian British architecture, the installation includes bricks and lace curtains that are often associated with terraced houses. The installation includes broken cement with grass usually present on the pavements outside these kinds of homes.
From a Canadian perspective, most terraced houses in the UK would be considered ‘heritage buildings’ in Canada due to their age as many colonial settler homes in North America are newer than most buildings across the UK. Moreover, a building in the UK would need to be much older to be listed than a building to be regarded a heritage site in Canada. This contrast makes me think about how far back we go to consider something to be ‘heritage’ and who deems what to be worthy of preservation.
This work questions the idea of authenticity in everyday cultural life. Within the installation, the found bricks, dirt, and cement are accompanied by fake stone wallpaper and a cheap mass-produced lace curtain on the wall. In our hypermodern globalised reality, we are often surrounded by industrialised objects that refer to their historical originals.
Images Courtesy of Cookhouse Gallery, London 2023