“In and out”, 9’38”, 2001

Imagine you are in a room somewhere on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. You might be high up but you don't know because there are no windows in the room. You don't even know if the Pacific Ocean is outside, but they say it is so it must be. Light is provided by specially calibrated halogen bulbs that offer a variety of spectrums and temperatures. The carpet and walls are almost the same color. The chair you sit in is made of a new chemical compound of foam that gives the sensation of the absence of body. A thermostat imbedded in the ceiling maintains the temperature at an even 72 degrees. The sound of a couple fighting in a foreign language is heard from a neighboring room. Every so often a man comes in who wears a suit that matches the carpet and walls. He asks you if you'd like a beverage or a snack or perhaps he could dim the lights or adjust your chair. He smiles and says he is new to the city. He had come from somewhere in-land. A country you've never heard of; a country less democratic than the one you are in now. You think it could be somewhere in Asia but then you look at him and he bares a striking resemblance to Jerry Lewis and you decide it must not be the country you had in mind. And then he smiles again and asks you how long you've been here and this is where things get a bit murky.

Jonah Freeman