NovelSpace (Chapter I)
Installation, 2015

Concept, direction, and installation by Christina Alford
Includes original sculptural and conceptual works by the artist
Realized in collaboration with commissioned artists

NovelSpace was a self-produced installation exploring reading as a private ritual rather than a public or academic act. Chapter I was developed in response to John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, translating literature into spatial and atmospheric environments that invited viewers into moments of solitude, concealment, and reflection.

Chapter I occupied a single interior space composed of multiple environments, including original sculptural and conceptual elements by the artist, light-based installations, handmade objects, and performative components. Materials such as wheat, fabric, found domestic objects, and light were used to create an intimate, ritual-like atmosphere rooted in the language of the home rather than the gallery.

Alford authored the conceptual framework, produced select sculptural and spatial works, and directed the installation as a whole. Collaborators were commissioned to fabricate additional sculptural and fiber-based elements in alignment with the project’s narrative and material language.

NovelSpace (Chapter I) marked Alford’s first completed installation and clarified her ongoing interest in intimacy, authorship, and audience participation.