Mom’s Hug is an experiential installation which is based around the feelings of
my mom’s hug when I am stressed, anxious, or having a panic attack. For this piece I
took over Gallery 157 small space. I took off the door to make the space accessible,
and so that the door wouldn’t be a distraction.

In the center of the room there is a sculpture that is 4 feet tall with 1 foot wide
sides, and has a 1 foot tall glass box on top. It is a figurative stand-in for my mother. The
glass box is a yellow-green color, which represents my personal associations with
anxiety, and how I want to change my perception on the color and use it to create a
calming effect. Within the box, there is a light, creating the only illumination in the room.
There is no other light source, because when I am anxious or having a panic attack, the
dark is more calming, as it removes the overwhelming visual stimuli. The light is within
the box because it represents the glow my mother has from within, even though the
exterior is rigid and has a more sharp appearance.There are fabrics all along the walls
of different colors and textures, some even reflective. The fabrics represent the blankets
she would wrap me in while hugging me.

This room represents how my mom would wrap me in a blanket and hug me
tightly when I was having intense panic attacks in high school. She would turn off the
lights, make sure the space was quiet, and wrap me in a blanket. She would then hold
me tightly.