Xu Zhen (MadeIn Company) Safe House A, 2012 Installation Tent poles and fabric 320 x 210 x 140 cm At first glance, the main body of the installation shows a camping tent consisting of a frame of poles and windproof ropes, with sheets of orange and black fabric draped over, suggesting a strong sense of vigilance. However, a pair of Latin crosses erected prominently on top of the structure is almost indisputably pointing at a Christian church. A product by MadeIn Company, Safe House A exemplifies so-called spectacle of “faith”. Within this beloved feast of commodity fetishism, a tent as such is convenient to be carried around, removed at any time and quickly folded and unfolded, providing tentatively a spiritual home with the least sense of security. Inherent temporariness of tent, and eternity and authority of faith both consolidate and erode each other, rendering the whole installation mildly absurd and frustratingly ineffective.
