Exercise 3b: Someone else’s shoes

Using your research from the first part of this exercise, try to look at the information in an emotional way. Your emotional response to an interior, a building or a piece of sculpture will be different to someone else’s response – and similarly, when thinking about a space for living – your emotional ‘wants’ will affect the way you work. The people that you work with will often have a different point of view to yours – and it is up to you to learn about and understand others’ points of view which may be different to your own. It is your job as an interior designer to be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Put yourself in Sydney Gale’s shoes and try to imagine what he may have felt when his home was used to make a piece of sculpture in a park. Try to empathise and understand how you might feel if the same thing happened to you, to your home, or to someone close to you. See if you can find any reports from the time giving Sydney Gale’s point of view. Make a few short paragraphs giving factual information first – and then more emotional information about how you would feel in Sydney Gale’s shoes.

Sydney Gale resisted the eviction from his home, which was soon to be turned artwork. After ‘the house’ has been created he commented “They’ve taken the wee wee out of me.” (published in east London Advertiser, issue unknown, source https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/rachel-s-inside-out-house-turns-art-world-upside-down-7654580 ). His comment was supposedly referring to his views on the budget granted to the artwork and his belief that the money would have been better spent on providing more social housing.

I believe he was upset by the whole situation. Being forced out of his home (he really wanted to stay and fought for years), extravagant ‘waste of money’ and his private space, his home being exposed for everyone to see. I believe all these issues topped one another and contributed to his negative feelings towards the outcome. What for many was a brilliant piece of art, for Sydney Gale must have been a very in your face remainder of his defeat…

I find quite easy to dwell on other people’s situations and how they may feel about them. Obviously, I cannot be sure if I am right about Sydney, as I found it quite hard to find any interviews or extended information about him. Usually, I would be more careful about voicing these opinions, but I often have them. In my daily life I often consider other people’s behaviours and what situations and what feelings may have caused them (usually to try and resolve a problem).

References:

Haines, G. (2021) Rachel’s inside-out’ house turns art world upside down. At: Rachel’s inside-out’ house turns art world upside down | East London Advertiser (Accessed 20/06/2022)