The flames of two candles flicker side-by-side behind a two-way mirror, layered with reflections of the visitors and the surrounding space. Each light constantly ebbs and grows in tandem, showing how individual each flame is, but at the same time, how they are both so much alike. Much like the two flames, the work echoes the idea of how we as people are never truly alone, even if we are sometimes at odds—like the title says, there will always be someone else in our world. Our nature is a social one. So much of what we learn as we grow up comes from others, from observing and mirroring our parents, our siblings, our classmates. So much so, that you can argue that the foundation of our identities, the foundation of how we become human, comes from these interactions. It is because of other people that we define ourselves, and thus how we evolve into who we are. As we get older, these interactions deepen. We develop new kinds of relationships, we become more complex. It isn’t a question of finding everything in one person, but how different people in our lives mean and provide us different things. In this context, just as we are always with other people, we become that other person for someone else. We can see ourselves in both flames of the work, as being on the giving as well as the receiving end of social relationships.

Year: 2016
Materials: Powder-coated aluminium, two-way mirror, powder-coated steel, 2 candles
Dimensions: 100 x 100 x 10 cm