A group exhibition that explores the waiting room
Designers My Comét and Stina Henriksson once again explore the Waiting Room. A fleeting non-place, or a place that leaves an impression?
The concept of the "non-place" was coined by the French anthropologist Marc Augé, referring to transient spaces (a kind of spatial passage) where people are relatively anonymous. However, this perception is subjective; a space that is a non-place for one person may, for another, be a place for experiences and encounters. In the context of the waiting room, the passage of time functions as an abstract element. With no expectation other than the very purpose of waiting, we sit down and pause – often with others. Sometimes waiting is an unwanted necessity, but perhaps waiting can also be a much-needed break to catch our breath. Here, the visitor’s own connotations of the waiting room, and the feeling of waiting, help shape the experience of the space.
The exhibition space, at times, like the waiting room, can be seen as a kind of non-place where we spend a moment before moving on – it’s subjective whether the exhibition is memorable, leaving an aftertaste, an echo, or if it’s merely a fleeting passage. How can the exhibition space and the waiting room be combined to give the non-place value as a place? Designers My Comét and Stina Henriksson explore the Waiting Room by creating an exhibition space where we can linger, wait for a moment, and where the objects are carefully selected with consideration for the visitor. They have a function, a history, and are meant to be used and experienced, rather than merely observed – to contribute to a memorable impression of the place. What you sit on, drink from, read, the number tag in your hand, and the art you study as you let your thoughts wander, are all carefully chosen as part of this group exhibition where we are allowed to simply be, without expectations.