With this installation, my final project for Kinji Akagawa’s 3D Design class, I decided on what I wanted to do first and then explored my motivations for wanting to create that. I realized it was my intention to create an intimate, enclosed, womb-like space that would envelop you, make you feel safe, and remind you that you are loved. The art that touches me deepest is empathetic in a similar way: Morrissey, George Herriman’s Krazy Kat, Willa Cather, Nina Simone, Peanuts, Chet Baker, Roy Orbison, Anders Nilsen, Neil Young, Low, Ron Regé Jr., Tom Waits, and the Microphones (whose songs are used here and the title is borrowed from) all feel incredibly kind and comforting to me. To this day if I have to have to get a needle stuck in me, I listen to Morrissey or Neil Young on headphones.

This project was also another way to explore naked trees, which I think are beautiful, intricate forms and are my favorite things to draw. And to lie down in blankets and sheets and listen to records is my favorite thing in the world.

This piece was made to be touched, smelled, and lived in. I told people to feel free to come in and rest, take a nap, cuddle, or even make out if they thought they could get away with it (but not to be rude).

Two more things about it that came about through the project were that nearly all the blankets were loaned by friends, which added a communal element to the project; everyone’s smells and touches intermingled. Also, because I used my own sheets, I ended up sleeping in my art, so for the folks that saw me that next morning, I became part of that installation.

I got a very warm response from most people. Some folks just told me that they dug it, one felt compelled to give me a hug, and I found out that Santiago Piedrafita (the MCAD Chair of Design) is a big Morrissey fan. One of the best reactions, though, was that after some friends and I saw a particularly jarring, horrifying film, we dropped by the installation and we all agreed that we immediately felt okay and peaceful. The jarring effects of the film dissipated; I felt my intention play out instantly.

photo documentation taken by Abigail Phelan Mullen