Trudy Hoang
The Devil's Trick
Prompt: The assignment was to create a piece made out of wood that could be installed on a desk. We were required to make the piece "inhabitable".
I wanted to create a piece that had movement and would wrap around the desk. I imagined a staircase descending down, but I didn’t want it to end, so I came up with the concept of a gate to hell. The following is the written portion I wrote to supplement my piece:
“When one walks to the gate, they are hypnotized by the towering frame and enter the darkness to find out what is beyond the starry entrance. To their surprise, they find themselves on a ramp, falling like how Alice fell down a rabbit hole. At the bottom of the slope, they realize that there is no where to go, except to cross a long tightrope, which hovers over a pitch black valley. After completing the brutal obstacle in the dimly lit area, they sigh in relief when they spot a simple staircase continuing downwards. They hold the cloth railing to maintain balance and notice that there are stains on the railing. However, due to the dim light, they assume that it is just dirt that has collected over the years. As they descend, the environment becomes more hot and humid. Already exhausted, they continue to trek across bridges to the unknown; when they look down, there is only darkness. Unbeknownst to them, they reach the final staircase. They stumble down, each step a corner of the pentagram. At the final step, they pass out and fall to their doom.”