Meet Yourself Booth

My practice began with a personal ritual I created around an old analogue photobooth—one I used in an unintended way. I would travel across the city just to sit inside it and spend a quiet moment with myself. The harder life felt, the more meaningful this ritual became. I’d sit there, looking into the camera’s tinted window, and ask myself, “Where am I in life right now?” After a brief inner dialogue, I’d drop in the coins and take a photo—still focused on myself, not posing. It became a way to mark a moment and place in my life.

Oddly, the photos looked almost the same each time. Maybe I seemed more tense, but mostly unchanged. That felt disappointing—except for one time when I was heartbroken and quietly sang a folk love song during the shots. I realized then that it wasn’t about being photographed. It was about being alone, facing myself, and allowing an honest conversation to happen. It was about presence and acceptance.

Later, during immigration and difficult times, I lost access to the booth. I tried to recreate the ritual in a bathroom mirror, but it felt off—uncanny, even. I couldn’t find that same feeling of safety. So I decided to make something of my own. I began developing a booth that could hold that kind of space for others. After researching interactive art and therapeutic practices, I built a working prototype, shown in an exhibition at Arttelex in Antwerp in January 2025.

Meet Yourself Booth is an installation where a person steps inside, sits down in front of a mirror, and locks their phone away in a box to begin the experience. A guided audio plays for about three minutes, gently taking them through a reflective journey. During this time, they’re invited to look at themselves, connect with their reflection, and even talk to it if they feel like it. 

I wanted each participant to have three uninterrupted minutes without their phone—to simply give attention to themselves and their reflection. To receive the message: You are seen.