Warning
2022
Site-specific installation
Materials: signs with texts
Location: Pfizer Building, Brooklyn, New York
<Warning> is inspired by the location, the Pfizer Building, which was a manufacturing factory. The ceiling is full of big and small pipes with diverse signs, such as “STEAM”, “CHILLED WATER SUPPLY”, “HI PRESSURE STEAM”, “CONDENSATE” and so on. <Warning> involves placing signs on these pipes with different texts, such as “COVID”, “WAR”, “VACCINE SUPPLY”, “ECONOMIC SANCTION”, and “WHO IS STILL ALIVE?” These signs are intentionally similar to the original ones that inspired them. I expect someone will find the surprise when they look up and wonder if these signs are art.
The initial idea is from the connection of the “Pfizer” building, vaccine, COVID-19, and a ventilation duct around the space, which reminds me of how the pandemic spread out all over the world. Each area in the world is connected to the other. Thus, I put a sign of “COVID” beside a vent on the duct, which may provide an image of the virus spreading around the space. And I put “VACCINE SUPPLY” and “WHO IS STILL ALIVE?” in a pipe beside the duct. On the other side, there are the signs of “WAR”, “ECONOMIC SANCTION”, and also “WHO IS STILL ALIVE?” War is similar to a virus, and while it can occur in a specific region, its effects can affect the entire world. I do not know if economic sanctions are enough to stop the war happening in Europe now. I hope people think about who will survive as vested interests and who will sacrifice as an innocent victim.