A PROJECT ABOUT THE STRUGGLES OF FIGURING IT ALL OUT.
concept, words, and photos by
ETHAN LUK
IN COLLABORATION WITH
MARLEYNA GEORGE
MODELS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Allie, Bella, Cameron, Dhasiya, Elijah, Freya, Lincoln, Marleyna, Megan, Molly, Olivia, Rosie, Sola, Sunyata, Tatiana
THE WAITING ROOM is an interdisciplinary art project that represents the awkward years stuck between childhood and adulthood. This project came out of hearing my peers (and myself) constantly complain about not knowing what to do in life and worrying what the future holds. Like many others, I find a lot of comfort in procrastination and creating huge messes with no substance. I frequently find myself thinking of elaborate projects , but I rarely pull through. All my ideas just become more crumpled pieces of paper in my drawer. This project is a response to the ragged beauty of these confusing years. I want to reminds us that to experience feelings of boredom and loss of direction does not mean to be apathetic or oblivious to the world around us: it simply means we need a little time to re-navigate.
- Ethan Luk, July 2018
play me while viewing!
THIS IS TO ALL THE KIDS:
who dance in their bedroom
WHO SEE BEYOND the whips of criticism,
GLARING eyes in the HALLWAYS,
overzealous PARENTS,
religion, boundaries
WHO WEAR THE WEIGHT OF JUDGEMENT
PROUDLY, LIKE A satin CAPE
AND RUNS BOLDLY INTO THE EARLY MORNING
AIR LACED WITH FOG
go FORTH and break all the rules
slander the AUTHORITIES who have dishonored
the validity of your love
smear rebellion on stale beliefs
like sweet jam on toast WITH THE SHARP
EDGE OF YOUR VOICE
THE MARKINGS ON YOUR PALM
IS PROOF ENOUGH
THAT YOU DESERVE A WORLD THAT RETURNS YOUR DEVOTION
THAT YOU DESRVE TO BE HAPPY
even if YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON
WHO WILL LISTEN TO THE GRANDEUR OF YOUR BIGGEST DREAMS
make the cracked pavements,
the linoleum high school corridor,
THE HARDWOOD surface BENEATH THE DINNER TABLE,
your own platform
things will fall in place
dance more
look for the brighter stars
make a wish (AND KEEP IT TO YOURSELF)
LET'S DIVE IN AND CREATE
WE WILL FEAST ON OUR CREATIONS OF VULNERABLE HONESTY
DRINK FROM THE COMMUNAL WINE OF TRUST
AND WE WILL NEVER GROW WEARY
iPHONE REMINDER:
take some pictures- you'll want to look back on them.
1-800-BOREDOM
1-800-BOREDOM
1-800-BOREDOM
1-800-BOREDOM
----
SHOWER THOUGHT #1:
it can be deafening to listen to your own silence.
people forget that silence does not mean stillness.
i can be silent and still fight a war with myself.
---
"A STUDY IN PINK "
GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM:
SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE I LEFT MY MIND AGAIN?
all these clothes and i can't find an outfit. thanks.
SMALL TALK
(A BEACH BOYS RECORD PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND.)
GIRL #1:
I want to ask you a question.
GIRL #2:
Go ahead.
GIRL #1:
Would you want to be anywhere else?
(GIRL #2 THINKS FOR A MOMENT.)
GIRL #2:
No.
(GIRL #1 LOOKS AT GIRL #2 LOVINGLY. THEY SMILE.)
FIN
origin planet: 404 ERROR
origin planet: 404 ERROR
origin planet: 404 ERROR
origin planet: 404 ERROR
"adam and eve"
---
SHOWER THOUGHT #2
i've been thinking a lot about words and language. It seems like THE OLDER I GET
THE HARDER IT IS TO ARTICULATE MYSELF. I THINK THIS IS BECAUSE FEELINGS AND
THOUGHTS COMPLEX WITH GROWTH, AND SOMETIMES WORDS CAN ONLY TAKE YOU SO FAR. IN
SUCH A FAST-MOVING WORLD, RARELY DO WE EVER LET OUR WORDS STEEP IN OUR THOUGHTS
BEFORE THEY LEAVE OUR MOUTH. so when it feels like my sentences fray at the seams, it
is because i am trying to find the perfect word.
---
LADIES ROOM
DIARIES FROM THE POWDER ROOM
SELF IMAGE
SELF INDULGENT
SELF CONTROL
SELF ESTEEM
sick of responsibilities?
1. go to your nearest grocery store
2. buy snacks (e.g. cheetos and cereal as shown in sample picture)
3. call it a day!
THE PSEUDO-ARTIST
"I'm kinda into photography. I guess I QUALIFY AS AN artist NOW."
"See? You should call me Picasso's daughter."
"They should frame my face at the moma or something. just an idea."
"TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS"
SHOWER THOUGHT #3
---
a letter in six parts
to my laptop: i am a puzzle THAT CAN FORM MULTIPLE PICTURES. i am cut up pieces of colored paper that used to belong to some kindergarten artwork. in other words, i am messy.
to my mother: i am forever changing. i am unpredictable. i am inconsistent. i'm sorry if you haven't quite figured me out yet. i am still understanding everything there is to know about myself.
to God: sorry if i made a mess. (edit: i know i have made a mess). i'm still trying to collect all the broken fragments of me that once belonged to a complete portrait.
to my future LOVERS: i apologize for all my faults. but maybe you'll like some of them. to you, i am an opportunity. a chance encounter. a cup of coffee that meets yours. i am a question mark. i am still figuring out what it means to share myself with another person. i imagine it a lot. but i'll see what it means for myself when i meet you.
to my pillow: i'm probably really heavy. sorry you have to carry the weight of my doubts and fears at night.
to my younger self: i hope i didn't disappoint you. my dreams havE ONLY GROWN WITH YOU.
WISH YOU WERE HERE.
"THE CREATION"
(FOR THE LONELY IN NEON RAIN)
LATE SUMMER
a poem
the thought of september
creeps in THE BEDROOM DOOR
like a four-legged monster
bred from pastel CARTOON sheets and childhood nightmares
i like to reminisce about all
the new dreams
that glowed under my duvet
DURING THE TENDER
BRUSHSTROKE
OF EARLY JUNE
i made a list of books i wanted to read
i made a list of all the cafes i would sit down and be productive:
write a pulitzer winning novel there or something
i made a list of all the places i wanted to go:
there’s this mountain i want to go to, alone,
where i can SIT DOWN with my thoughts
AT A PICNIC FOR TWO
and have SONGS ENCRUSTED WITH DAYDREAMS
drift out my portable speaker
like an ethereal halo
of warm, pink silk
and on this mountain,i can get a whole view
of the city
i just want to see things from a higher perspective
my favorite month is june
it represents everything i adore
the beginning of a hazy spell
of unmet goals, finding sand
in the pockets of my clothes
the beginning of my watching of ROM COMS
and i try to convince myself: maybe if i watched enough movies
my life will somehow magically transform into a grainy,
black and white world, or a bright technicolor landscape
where i spend every day by the seaside and see women make their way along the
boardwalk in red polka dot dresses, and at night
i’ll hear a group of seagulls soar across the burnt blue sky or
I'LL see diners doused in their red, varnished glow
as a couple whispers secrets into each others ears in the company
of milkshakes AND A LONELY JUKEBOX
i see june as the world in its prime
the world bursts with color in everY second
it is a color that is slightly FADED:
it doesn’t boast like the sunsets in august, or
the christmas lightS THROUGH LAYERS OF ICING SUGAR SNOW
it is not as subtle as the nuances during the turning point
when winter morphs into spring
june is a color that is exactly what it needs to be
june is a time where everything is exactly where it needs to be
deadlines are not close to the fingertips
i can only think of how late i’ll stay up tonight, or
you know what, i think june reminds me of van gogh
a blazen world in his signature yellow
the moving, dynamic cornfields under his deft TOUCH
the sunflowers that seem brighter than any human smile
now it’s august and time burns away
like a duo of cigarettes on a park bench
the regrets i stuffed in the bottom of my schoolbag where
crumpled notes and bubble gum wrapping paper lie
are starting to resurface
i want to hold my dreams as close to me as possible
i don’t want to let go of my memories:
let it braise deeper and deeper in my subconscious
they are the fuel and flavor to my crafT
LIFE OF
THE PARTY
iPHONE REMINDER
don't forget to have fun today :)
