Generic Escape Capsule
2005
Hand built into a 1930s bedroom wardrobe, Generic Escape Capsule (G.E.C.) is a one-person survival unit designed to blend into the domestic environment of a normal household without raising any suspicion. The rather cramped conditions contain all the basic necessities of life. Stored within the G.E.C. are fourteen days’ supply of food and water, a sleeping area with a makeshift toilet and a camping kitchen with mini-sink and drain.
With its independent battery operated lighting the occupier can read through the survival handbook or first aid manual. With the adjustable periscope, the occupier can hide away until any external threat or danger has passed. The G.E.C. is also supplied with a first aid kit, a small tool kit and sewing kit for running repairs, and a pack of cards for entertainment.
Superficially the G.E.C. is extremely practical but at the same time it is patently absurd. The single occupancy suggests a lonely paranoia running out of control and the domestic origins of the object places that paranoia inside the home. The work can be seen as a response to the geo-political unease, which swept through the early part of the decade following the 9/11 attack on New York in 2001.
Generic Escape Capsule [G. E. C.], 2005 found wardrobe, mixed media (14-day survival rations, cooking equipment, radio, chair, bucket, tools, first aid kit, water, lamp, periscope, esky), 183 × 153 × 53 cm
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - closed
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - scanning
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - reading
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - cooking
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - shitting
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - brushing
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - eating
Generic Escape Capsule demonstration - sleeping