ELEVATOR by Lidija Raletic
I’m a student at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and this series deals with the space, or non-space, of the elevator and how people interact with it and perceive it. Lidija Raletic
The elevator itself I found interesting because people usually don’t pay attention to it and the short journey that we go on almost every day. When in motion, its interior can be understood as a kind of non-space or in-between space; the lift is the means through which a certain relation on the vertical axis is traveled, and every moment of that journey represents movement of restricted (non-)space.
A mirror is almost mandatory in every elevator, and this element really caught my attention – by entering the elevator, we are directly welcomed by our own reflection, our being.
The reason why mirrors are placed in lifts is very simple, almost banal and somewhat ironic – to make our time pass more quickly.
Can the space of the lift and the short journey that it provides us be seen as opportunities for a brief introspection? Is man really so self-centered that he cannot help getting bored in a space that does not reflect his character in any way? Or is the mirror just a reminder of the importance of introspection and confronting our inner world? Is an elevator some sort of modern oasis, or even a confessional in which we should listen to ourselves?
