Homeownership has become increasingly unattainable for young people. Dwelling in Delusion turns that reality into something tangible through craft.
Created by Ashleigh Barnes, ArtSci ’26, the installation reimagines a “dream house” through fibre art. Built from a pajama set, the piece takes the form of a wearable dollhouse, complete with a bedroom, laundry room, and small, carefully stitched details. Located right by the entrance to Union Gallery, the work responds to the realities of housing insecurity, particularly for young people navigating rising costs and economic instability.
Barnes said the project began as a response to the pressures and expectations surrounding homeownership. These pressures come from cultural messages that frame owning a home as a milestone of success, as well as from family, peers, and the realities of an increasingly unaffordable housing market. “It feels so far beyond realistic that I’ll ever be able to own my own home,” Barnes said in an interview with The Journal.
The installation sits somewhere between play and critique. At first glance, its soft textures and miniature features feel whimsical. A closer look reveals the installation is backed with labour: hand-stitched elements, felted objects, and intricate scenes that replicate domestic space on a reduced scale.
Barnes said the idea began as an ironic response to Union Gallery’s curatorial theme ‘In This Economy?!’. Instead of rejecting the expectation of homeownership, she chose to recreate it. “Allowing myself to create something full of whimsical, inner child fulfilling details was very cathartic,” Barnes said. While owning a home feels increasingly unattainable, it continues to be framed as a marker of success—an expectation Barnes playfully pushes back on by constructing her own “dream home” in fabric.
The use of fibre art is central to the piece. “For me, fibre art is a pivotal medium for craftivism, and craftivism is connected to feminisms,” Barnes said, positioning it in opposition to systems like capitalism and patriarchy. Materials associated with care, repair, and domestic labour become tools for critique.
“I see fibre art and its history of being undervalued and feminised as the perfect medium to resist these dominant systems of power,” Barnes said.
The installation also reflects Barnes’ academic background in Environmental Studies. Themes of economic precarity, consumerism, and environmental instability intersect throughout the work. Rather than isolating housing as a single issue, the piece situates it within a broader network of overlapping crises.
“There are failing systems,” Barnes said, pointing to capitalism and consumer-driven growth as underlying pressures shaping everyday life.
Despite its critical focus, Dwelling in Delusion leaves room for imagination. The work leans into escapism but doesn’t fully resolve it. The softness of the materials and the familiarity of domestic space offer a sense of comfort, even as the concept underscores its inaccessibility.
Barnes describes the tension between comfort and inaccessibility as intentional since imagination can provide relief, but it doesn’t replace material security. “Sometimes big issues can feel overwhelming and rather isolating,” Barnes said. She hopes visitors leave recognizing that art and craft can offer a way to process those feelings.
The installation’s scale and detail suggest it may not be finished. Barnes noted there were additional elements she wanted to include, hinting that Dwelling in Delusion could continue to evolve.
For now, the piece stands as both a reflection of present conditions and a reworking of what “home” can look like, even if only in fabric.
Tags
Art Exhibition, Dwelling in Delusion, Union Gallery, Visual art
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