At first glance, the objects in this installation seem ordinary : a guardrail and a lightbulb.
The first one is a simple barrier designed to prevent us from falling. But what caught my attention is how it never stands alone. A guardrail always exists in relation to a void, a staircase, an edge. It protects, but also guides and accompanies.
This idea of guidance made me think of what sociologist Jean-Claude Kaufmann calls the “guardrail of the self”(gardefou du soi in french). He explains that we no longer see the self as stable or unified, but as multiple and fragmented. To hold ourselves together, we rely on external supports, on the objects and contexts around us. These things give us a sense of permanence, acting as quiet stabilizers of our identity.
The second lies on the floor, a small lightbulb. From afar, it glows softly. As we approach, it turns off. When we step away, it lights up again. Sometimes it hesitates, as if unsure, as if listening or perhaps responding.
In this way, everyday objects become more than functional. They are the invisible structures that help us not to fall outside, and within. Between them, a subtle dialogue forms maybe as a new kind of language, one that emerges quietly between us and the things that watch back.