The exercise required a symbolic representation that effectively conveyed its intent while maintaining an air of mystery, encouraging exploration and understanding of its meaning. First, an object was selected that could allude to the word, its meaning, and its associated emotions, as well as the resulting space.
The selected object is the diskette, a relic of the past. It carries a certain level of mystery and uncertainty, having been rendered obsolete by its successors. This small storage device was once capable of storing personal data such as photos, documents, and even videos. Those files are now in limbo, forgotten and unused. Only when accessing this small object do those files and memories come to life, triggering a range of emotional responses from the mundane to the exhilarating.
The space represents a state of mind. From the outside, one can peek through a hole in the floor and wonder what is kept below it. A ramp spirals down to the centre of the space, where a water mirror awaits on the floor, directly below the hole seen from the outside. One cannot see through the hole but only glance at its reflection in the water. Light comes in faintly, only enough to illuminate the space around the mirror. It now reads: ‘This is a space for reflection, empathy, and nostalgia. The outside world, once a certainty, is now only visible through a reflecting pool.’