REVIEW: "Dwelling" Gallery at 33 E. Congress

When the viewer walks into “Dwelling,” a new gallery on the first floor of the 33 East Congress Columbia building, the first thing they’ll notice is the red walls. This is clearly not about to be an upbeat or energetic experience. Soon they’ll see a hanging window frame with a line of bed sheets attached to it hanging to the floor. The subject matter is obviously difficult and dark but also notably engaging. This will cause the viewer to want to look further and continue into the exhibit as they begin a journey through the mind and the heart. “Dwelling” is truly something worth seeing.

            It’s hard to explain what the viewer is about to walk into. They’ll see televisions on the wall, both big and small, a large accordion-shaped piece hanging across the ceiling and a few chairs posted in certain areas. There are also some articles of clothing hanging from the ceilling and a series of boxes on the floor clearly leading to something. Without giving away the mystery or the secret at hand, just know what there is something to be figured out by the viewer. The answer is neither specific nor broad. The scenery alludes to something but also leaves much of the process up to the viewer to piece together and decide for himself or herself.

All these pieces put together what seems to go on in a place of dwelling or the feeling of dwelling in the tranquility and emptiness that comes with a small-town home and family. This exhibit is quite scary. The titles of each piece seem to make everything make sense. Each shot is a still life or picture in motion of a life within a home. The scariest part is that there is rarely a face or a voice – everything is done without a formal identity of the character. On the first walls at right we can see looped footage of people in their homes, whether in the shower or living rooms. Without saying anything that gives it away, it is quickly inferred that the topics at hand are dark and scary. We can already point out unwanted physical touching and uncomfortable situations. Seeing this can help piece together the bedsheet in the beginning. Here is the first of many elements that are connected to each other that makes it exciting for the viewer to place together in their mind.

The artwork on the walls that’s being showcased as part of a story are all incredible. The pieces in progress of this person’s life, like the homemade clothes, are all very well made and well placed. The video footage on the walls was cleverly made. In back, we can see dozens of film grain photos on the walls as snapshots of this person’s life. Each photo was taken with care and talent. This best captured the emotion and intention of the gallery and accented the collection well. A talented group of students set out to prove something when they put together “Dwelling” and what came through was very neat. Whatever hard work made this event happen deserves the best recognition possible, because the chill it’ll send through every person in the room is worth experiencing.