Keeley H – Small World/Miniature Installation

 01/25/26

Initial Idea and Sketches:

    I was able to find a pretty, nice, and interesting vintage jewelry storage box. Instead of the usual opening at the top of the box, this one comes with a set of drawers. It also has two doors that open. I thought this object was interesting and gave me the most space to work with. In my sketches, I show how I want this object "posed," and it requires a bit of tinkering with the piece's insides. I want to keep the object looking as it originally did, but remove all the wood and excess behind the drawers to use as my gallery space. I will keep the outward faces of the drawers, but add a thin piece of wood or particle board to keep them from moving while still providing support to hold them in place. 

    Jewelry boxes hold precious items and are often quite a private place for both girls and women. I grew up with my mother having a large jewelry box that I remember holding all things tiny and important. I wasn't allowed to go through it until I was much older and could understand how to treat each object with care. Within my current body of work that is addressing issues of violence against women, I was questioning what a "safe space" could look like after such an experience. Is it truly safe? What would it look like in the aftermath of such a horrible event? To be quite vulnerable in this post, I couldn't necessarily even remember much of what that looked like after, but I remember what it felt like. 

    I want to be gentle with this piece. As these spaces are hard to come by and are hard to curate after living through sexual violence of any sort. I want it to be dark and fuzzy, symbolizing the body and mind's deregulation after such an ordeal, while also creating a soft, quiet healing space. That is what went into my design choices for the bedroom portion of the mini installation.

    But one other key element I can remember feeling after is the need to scrub, to clean, and the feeling that it will never be enough. So I thought about adding a bathroom. This room is not visible from the main peephole of the drawer, which is slightly ajar. I want to place another, more discreet peephole towards the bottom of the box, either on the sides or back, that people must find. The only clue that it exists is from the light coming through the door. (I was very much inspired by the installation at the museum with the door that goes nowhere and the choice to put light behind it) But mine will lead somewhere as long as people are willing to search for it. Maybe, in the end, this is two separate pieces brought together to add context, since placing both rooms under one title doesn't necessarily feel right. And maybe adding an additional title will hint to my audience that there is more to a hidden room. (Titles have always been really important to my work and to me)

Title Ideas: (After reading my book above, lol, any other ideas that feel more impactful to you title-wise, I would love to hear them!)

"Safe Haven"

"Rubbed Raw"

The sketch is quite quick and not necessarily all the way there, but the perspective I chose to draw it in was difficult to configure in 2D space, but I think it will make so much more sense once I get to building each element. I was also thinking that the top drawer of the box could be used to add overhead lighting or other hidden elements like sound or smell!

Artist Inspiration:

Judy Chicago: 

"Dinner Party"

I have no idea why the image quality on almost all the images availble for the "Dinner Party" installation are coming up so poor on this blog but I added in a link to Judy Chicago's website so that you can view them in a better light (if you want to ). I'm inspired by Judy Chicago because of her themes and imagery. I really enjoy how she utilizes such feminine imagery in a very masculine presentation. Placing a very vulnerable thing in a light of consumption. But not inviting mean to do any of the that because each place mat is given to a powerful or influential women in history. I find inspiration in her ability to put this work out there and let it speak for itself. 

Tracey Emin:

"My Bed"

I first discovered Tracey Emin in Rachel Sailor's class and was immediately drawn to how vulnerable the work was. I find inspiration in the realness of the work. There is nothing tailored here, and it took quite a bit of bravery and ability to have such a vulnerable moment laid bare for the world to witness and then judge. I think there is a bit of that in the idea I want to portray in my work. 

Kara Walker:

"Burning African Village Play Set with Big House and Lynching"

Kara Walker will always be an inspiration to me and my work. She puts out naratives in such a graphic way, both literally and symbolically. There is no sugar coating what is happening, and therefore it is quite abrupt to witness and digest. I find her ability to toe the line between grotesque scenes of brutality while also explaining history to be beautiful and I hope to achieve just a semblance of that in my work. 

Teresa Margolles:

"The Order of the Good Death - Papeles"

"Fourth Plinth"

Teresa Margolles' interest in violence, and death and how that appears in her work are interesting to me, and I find that many of my interests are reflected there. Her background and experience in forensics adds such a different edge to her work that I can't explain. It's graphic but quiet. The audience can put together what is going on or what is being referenced but in a way that is subdued. While some of her pieces are just full on out there. I'm interested in seeing what the balance could be for my work. 

Keeley, thank you for the care and honesty you brought to this post. The jewelry box is a strong and thoughtful found object choice, both physically and conceptually. Its associations with privacy, intimacy, and preciousness align clearly with the questions you are asking about safety, vulnerability, and what remains after violence. Your attention to the object’s existing structure—drawers, doors, thresholds—and your plan to carefully alter the interior while preserving the exterior shows a strong understanding of how a found space can function as a gallery rather than a container.

Your writing makes it clear that you are not interested in spectacle, and that restraint and gentleness are central to this work. The decision to keep the primary room quiet, dark, and soft, and to introduce the second, hidden space through light rather than visibility, feels conceptually grounded. The idea that the viewer must search for the second room mirrors the emotional logic of the piece, and the use of multiple peepholes as thresholds is particularly effective.

I do want to encourage you to think carefully about scope and necessity as you move forward. You have many strong elements at play—two rooms, light, sound or scent, multiple viewing points, and layered titles. As you refine the project, ask yourself which elements are essential to the experience, and which might be doing similar work conceptually. Fewer, more intentional decisions will allow the emotional weight of the piece to remain intact rather than becoming diffuse.

Your artist references are well chosen and thoughtfully articulated. Judy Chicago, Tracey Emin, Kara Walker, and Teresa Margolles all engage vulnerability, violence, and the politics of visibility in very different ways, and it’s clear you are thinking about how to balance quiet with confrontation. As you continue, I encourage you to let these references guide how much is shown versus withheld, and how material presence can speak without explanation. Is there a single artist you should/could focus on for this work?

Overall, this proposal is strong, sensitive, and conceptually aligned with the goals of the project. The next step is refinement: clarifying how the viewer encounters the work, narrowing the number of interventions, and ensuring that each decision is necessary and deliberate. You’re working from a place of care and intention—now it’s about letting the structure carry that weight.