Artist Statement

For this project we used a 3-D modeling program called SketchUp to create a space that represents a memory of a place where we have spent time in the past. Two places where I spent a lot of time are my churches. The first church that I attended was located in Elmhurst, Queens. My mother went there before I was born and I basically grew up in that building. The church was old but it was still beautiful. I had a lot of memories in that place.

But about ten years ago there was a fire. And because it was so old, there was no chance to repair it. A few years after that incident, a new church was built in Long Island. But the new church was the complete opposite of the old one. Although the old members stayed and the priest didnÅ't change, the environment of the new church was completely different.

All the walls in the new church are all white. The flooring is also white; we have red carpets in the office, youth group, and adult sanctuary. We have a few balls for the younger church members to play with, but now they just sit there quietly in the gym except when someone is bored and kicks it around. The library is quiet, not many people go there. The members in the church donated all the books, but they are untouched and stay on the shelves to collect dust.

At the end of the hall instead of putting the consecutive rooms of classrooms, I decided to add a part of the old church. I made the old wooden piano because I remembered singing songs as a friendÅ's mom played the piano. I put the stage where we performed during Christmas, Easter, and other holidays for our parents. We used to dare each other to jump off the stage without using the stairs. It was dangerous and frightening because the woods used to creak. The heater warmed us during cold winter days. And there were places our parents forbid us to go, but that never stopped us.

I wish I appreciated the church more when I was younger, because now it's only a memory and I never realized how much I miss it.