Sophie Calle's 'Room' Installation at Lowell Hotel Blurs Fact and Fiction

Sophie Calle, a French artist, unveiled 'Room,' a new installation commissioned by the French Institute Alliance Française for the 'Crossing the Line' festival. During a weekend in mid-October 2011, she inhabited Suite 3A at the Lowell Hotel on New York City's Upper East Side. The installation showcased various items, including a stuffed cat, a banana, a wedding dress, embroidered sheets, a black brassiere, a red bucket, a blond wig, Polaroids, and printed materials like love letters and a cemetery plot certificate from Bolinas, California, many of which had appeared in her earlier works. Each object was paired with typed index cards detailing autobiographical narratives about her relationships and life experiences. Visitors engaged quietly with the items and the extensive texts, while Calle sometimes typed on her laptop, with French news playing in the background, leaving guests uncertain about interaction. The installation also featured handwritten philosophical messages and personal stories, including one about a dessert named 'Young Girl's Dream' and another about her three cats. Additionally, a text referenced her 2001 work 'Appointment with Sigmund Freud,' discussing childhood rituals and performances in Pigalle. Calle's ongoing exploration of beds and hotel rooms is evident in her past pieces such as 'The Sleepers' (1980), 'The Hotel' (1981), 'Room with a View' (2003), and 'Exquisite Pain' (2003).