Our House is a small scale diorama installation that examines the complex and evolving relationship between humans and vermin. As temperatures rise and ecological imbalances intensify, rat populations are beginning to surge. The exponential growth of these populations symbolize the broader consequences of humanity’s footprint on the  planet.

I constructed the piece and its inhabitants out of repurposed materials such as plastic, cardboard boxes, and discarded insulation foam. The process of collecting and transforming found materials forced me to face the amount of waste I produce each day. This realization helped shape the central theme of Our house; the consequences of humanity’s neglect of the environment and the overlooked species that thrive in the spaces left behind. Our House envisions a world in which the boundary between human and critter environments blur, prompting the viewer to reflect on the kinship of all beings.