Tucked Away

Building a squatter's workshop beneath 37 Broad Street.

I found this little cubby beneath the stairwell in the cellar of the Junior Studio building. It seemed like as good a place as any to stake my claim for an impromptu workshop.

The raw space was pretty dirty, and the ground was coated in dust, presumably the byproduct of concrete and drywall installation from when the building was first constructed. Sweeping up this ancient dust pulled a lot of it into the air, which did not feel great for my lungs and general health. When I got sick a few days into the project, I initially thought that I had really fucked up and poisoned myself with airborne asbestos and mold particles. Turns out it was just strep, which was super chill.  

The route to the installation from the WESU parking lot.

A quick tour of the space.

The project was a bit of an ode to my bedroom workstation from last year, which I think of fondly and often.

As the build developed, it became more functional as a workshop itself and began to aid in its own construction. The early stages of the project took place entirely in my bedroom and the wood shop, but by the end stages I was fabricating elements exclusively within the installation itself. The project gave me an excuse to do some woodworking, cable management, drywall anchoring, and painting, plus I got an opportunity to use a bunch of fun new hardware, which is really half the reason I like doing this sort of thing.

The installation will probably only stay up in its complete form for a few days, as it consists almost entirely of my personal possessions, but if anyone wants to take a look, feel free. The key's in the door.