"Can I stop being worried now?"

I went to my friend Melanie's gallery opening tonight. Her installation, made of cardboard into which the visitor walks and follows a precise itinerary, reflects on the idea of shelter. It is a bit, at time, overwhelming as it is rather dark, and the boxes form walls at varied angles that do not allow us to know where we're going and where the exit is. I found the idea very, very interesting, as it forces you to confront walls, darkness and words that are projected through the cardboard through holes that let light in.

Here's the thing, though, that set the table for me: when I arrived, the gallery was closed, and the university was in danger of being evacuated. Part of the installation was a smoke machine, and it didn't work well with the gallery's smoke detector. So I met a closed door through which I could both hear the alarm and see the title: can I stop being worried now? I know Melanie was stressed by all this, but to me, it was just perfect!