Fantasy and Reality Dashun Li

1. Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf, NICHOLS, 1966

2. Giada Showroom, New York,U.S.A,STEVEN HOLL, 1987

The film “Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, directed by Mike Nichols, is a tale of the consequence of manipulating the division between fantasy and reality , played out in the intimacy of a small party.

The party was never meant to be fun. It begins with a neurotic conversation and ends with a brawl. The host reveal in brutal sarcasm, and the calm anticipation of the madness.

When the character George hears the conversation between his wife Martha and guest Nick, he angrily picks up the umbrella umbrella, and pretending it is a gun, shoots at his wife. The shooting may seem like a joke, but it is a response to George and Martha’s long-running disharmonious life. At the same time they maintain their marriage through long-term fantasy of an imaginary son. Live in fantasy and escape from reality.

My studio parter Yongyan and I were shocked by this moment. The film uses an illusory and playful approach to prop out the boundaries between fantasy and reality. We sought an architectural equivalence to this prop umbreall-gun.

The Giada Showroom by Steven Holl offered a postential propo. All the furniture, interior elements and architectural qualities are meaningful and unique. It was in our furniture that we sought a different meaaning that could sustain the gun-umbrealla apparatus found in the film.

We extend the furniture out of the walls and blend in with the illusory walls - creating a unique connection. This approach gives feedback on our boundaries between reality and fantasy, as well as our unique expression.