Installation Build
A solo installation build completed in under five months, using cardboard and installation foam to construct a walkable room at roughly 3/4 scale.
Both in design and process, this solo build took inspiration from the dollhouses I made as a kid. I used the same kinds of materials I had on hand growing up: cardboard, foam, craft paint, and hot glue.
Completed in under five months, the structure includes matching prop food and furniture, all built to roughly 3/4 scale to invoke a slight discomfort in viewers. The central challenge was balancing that unease against the comfort of familiar, everyday objects, while finding ways to render them convincingly in cardboard and installation foam.
The Inspiration
I never quite found the right dollhouse as a kid, so the next best thing was to make my own house, or I should say houses. I fell in love with miniatures at a young age and loved learning new techniques to get cleaner, more refined builds. I pushed myself to keep growing and never settled for just one building. Most of all, I loved thinking about what everyday pieces of junk could become once translated into a new setting, especially one built to the size of a figurine.
Below are photos of one of the earliest shoebox dollhouses I ever made.
The Process
After collecting and trimming down numerous carpet tubes, they were placed roughly every 10 in. sandwiched between large sheets of cardboard and secured using woodglue and screws. I later decided to add a singular window which required using a jigsaw to carefully carve out by hand. All seams were covered using water-activated packaging tape for a polished look.
