Embassy of States of Minds

Everyone lives in a world constructed by their own mind. Some of them are radically different from ours that we treat them as “crazy“ or “abnormal“. However, if they are behaving normally in their state of mind, how do we define who’s normal or abnormal?

The Embassy of States of Mind develops from a series of follies in the embassy garden. The follies are providing different kinds of experiences constructed using architectural elements and language for everyone to go through.

The follies are categerized according to the classifications of the experiences. The three basic kinds are: hallucinations (being watched, sound, visions), delusion (sense of horizon, sense of scale), and phobia (demophobia, claustrophobia etc.) They are laid out according to the logic of the grid and architectual language they are using.

All follies are developed from the minimal material condition of a mental patient’s room. Paddings on concrete walls, a surveillance hole on the door and a soft bed to avoid danger. Based off from that, manipulations of materials are applied, such as adding paddings to enhance sound absorbtion, using mirros to redefine the boundry of space or incorporate “fake“ material.