Room 127

The project Room 127 consists of a series of dioramas created from medicine dispenser boxes. It invites the audience to take a glimpse into the lives of strangers, who are dealing with a chronic illness. Nestling inside the compartments of the pill boxes are tiny scenes that are accompanied by an audio track. One box represents one person with one condition.

Life can change rapidly when you are diagnosed with a chronic illness. All of a sudden your calendar is full with doctor’s appointments and your nightstand is overflowing with all sorts of medication. It can take months until you receive the right treatment. In addition to the challenge of understanding the medical jargon, you also have to deal with the people around you: friends, family who are very concerned or doctors who are showing little empathy. You hardly can avoid ridiculous advice in the months following the diagnosis. Have you tried cinnamon? A juice cleanse? Chia seeds work wonders!

The miniature dioramas in Room 127 show excerpts of daily lives of people, who are impacted by a chronic condition. The scenes inside medicine dispenser boxes tell individual experiences with chronic illnesses over the course of one week. The audience can examine the dioramas and listen to audio tracks. Each box represents one person and one disease, ranging from diabetes to rheumatism and other also never heard of conditions, not terminal but they also will not go away by themselves. The long-term goal is to set up an exhibition which presents different boxes to be showcased at different locations – from galleries to hospitals.

Time

January 2020

Location

Vienna

Team

Clara Hirschmanner