From hit songs, books, music videos and even upcoming films, many individuals have been able to find creative inspiration for artistic projects during the ongoing pandemic. One of the best examples of this is a recent project from designer, Lydia Cambron, who reenacted the iconic finale from 2001: A Space Odyssey but restaged it in the context of home quarantine.
In an exclusive interview with Interiors, we spoke with Lydia Cambron, who conceptualized and executed this idea masterfully. The images are property of Lydia Cambron.
INT: First off, we were curious how the idea for 2020: An Isolation Odyssey came about? What was it about the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, that made you want to reenact a scene from it?
LC: The movie had been on my mind as an aesthetic reference for a separate project. I’d been working from home for a little while when I thought of it. Spending day in and day out in a single space–the similarity just clicked and as soon as I saw it, it really unfolded. I saw the obvious similarities in space and context, but also the emotional parallels. Each phase of Dave’s journey is marked by a different emotion and reaction to the space he is confined to. I think right now we can all relate to the transition from confusion, to acceptance, and then even to release.
INT: We are huge fans of the iconic finale and your reenactment was incredible. What was the process like recreating exact sequences in a residential space and finding imagery that connected so perfectly? Were there any challenges during the process?
LC: I chose to reimagine or adapt the context rather than simply reenacting with similar forms. I wanted it to be a believable narrative on it’s own, by illustrating the mundane daily actions and stillness of life that we are probably all too familiar with by now. To me, this was a way to make another connection: that this time might also offer a chance to shift your perspectives. This is also where the comedy shines, in the adaptation of the scenes to modern or current scenarios like working from home rather than eating a meal off an elaborate place setting, and dropping a can of sparkling water rather than a crystal glass.
Originally I thought I would just use props with similar massing to act it out. I think once I came up with using the water rower as the monolith, I saw a chance for greater intention and commentary with the props and my adapted storyline. The face masks were conceived as a way to represent aging, and ended up speaking to the pivot towards ‘self care’ that many people made once isolated. The laptop fits in the context of WFH, but also highlights the impulse to maintain productivity, even in the midst of uncertainty. It is a comedy from tiny everyday tragedies.
There was definitely some creative maneuvering to get the shots to line up and some very DIY rigging involved too. I had to use wide angle lenses and push the camera to the edges of my apartment walls but was able to match up the shots to the layout of my apartment pretty easily. I purchased a slider for the pan scenes and I think that was really critical in mimicking the first shot of ‘Dave 2’ as well as the final puzzle and croc pan. In terms of ‘trickery’, the bedroom scenes required a little more magic than the other scenes. I had to move the bed to back up to the doorway, so I could remove the headboard and get the shot from behind my head.
Honestly, the biggest challenge was actually acting. I have no experience and found it extremely challenging to get what I wanted (out of myself). Luckily I only had to convince myself to keep going until it felt right. I had never filmed or edited anything before this so the technical learning leap was big. While I had a fair amount of creative problem solving to do with lighting and angles and timing etc, as a designer of furniture and interiors, I knew pretty quickly what I wanted and how to get it. There was of course trial and error with props but I could already think and visualize in framing and details.
Lydia Cambron is an independent designer working commercially in retail environments. She also co-curates and co-directs the annual NYC Design Week exhibition JONALDDUDD.