Luxuriate in Discomfort

Luxuriate in Discomfort considers our relationship with discomfort, and how the relationship shapes our experience.

Together the works confront our pursuit of comfort and luxury via a double entendre: by living a life of luxury in day-to-day torment, and by seeking discomfort as a means toward contentment.

Born out of a 2.5 year inquiry into the nature of pain, the installation comprises a large open-air sculpture, neon, vending machines, a book and poetry, and asks what is luxury’s ultimate prize. Is it freedom?

LUX is a metaphorical satire of the LAX sign found at the entrance Los Angeles International Airport, and references Southern California’s place as a global trendsetter in what it means to live an extraordinarily comfortable life, a life many aspire to live through the lens of numerous LA – based reality TV shows.

HEAT and COLD symbolize oppression and rejection personified by excessively hot and cold environments, together offering an alternate path toward comfort and freedom.

Two vending machines dispense the book Luxuriate in Discomfort.