FACE YOUR FEARS
Installation
PennWest California
Face Your Fears was a one-day installation designed to evoke and challenge the viewer’s perception of fear, placed in the main hallway of PennWest CalU. The installation spanned the entire length of the hallway, inviting passersby to confront their fears in a literal and symbolic sense.
Wispy crows crafted from tulle netting suspend from the ceiling, floating like dark, intangible phantoms. Beneath these crows, vinyl shadows stretch along the floor, creating an eerie, immersive environment that guided viewers down the hall. The interplay between the crows and their shadows set the tone for the installation—a sense of looming dread and the unseen forces that often shape our fears.
At the far end of the hallway stands the centerpiece: a small, cloaked figure about 3.5 feet tall, dressed in black with a silver mask. From a distance, the figure appeared ominous and threatening, with its eerie eyes peeking through the mask. It was a mysterious and unsettling sight—something that seemed out of place yet deliberately designed to draw attention. College students and campus visitors approaching the installation hesitated, struck by the figure’s haunting presence. Many stalled in the doorway at the site, some even expressing alarm and turning to leaving the hallway altogether to seek out a different route, visibly haunted.
However, as viewers draw closer to the figure, something remarkable happens. What had initially seemed terrifying is revealed to be nothing more than a mannequin—a childlike form in a simple costume. The mask, although silver and unnerving from afar, was cheap and unthreatening up close. The eyes, though piercing from a distance, were warm and innocent upon closer inspection. It became clear that the figure was no monster; it was simply a mannequin dressed in a costume—a reminder that our fears, too, can be like this. They seem overwhelming and frightening when seen from afar, but up close, they are often much smaller and simpler than we imagine.
This concept—of fear being larger in our minds than in reality—was at the heart of the Face Your Fears installation. The experience prompted viewers to question their instinctive reactions and consider how their own fears might be similarly inflated. The reactions from the audience were fascinating to witness. I saw students go pale, stop in their tracks, and even run back down the hall after catching sight of the figure. Many were audibly discussing among their peers about their initial fear and surprise, only to express relief and amusement once they realized the true nature of the figure.
The installation was short-lived due to its placement in an access way, but the impact it had in just one day was profound. It created an unforgettable experience for those who encountered it, serving as a tangible exploration of how we perceive and respond to fear. Face Your Fears was more than just an installation—it was a mirror, reflecting back to viewers the nature of their anxieties and offering them the chance to see those fears for what they really are: small, simple, and often much less frightening when confronted directly.