Image of the exhibition, 'House/Boat.'

Excerpt from Kamala Kapoor, Vivan Sundaram: Shelter 1994-99, publisher unknown, 1999:

''House/Boat' can be seen as a set of very enlarged models, almost the real thing. House, the cube — white and minimalist from inside. But the space is occupied by a black box on which is placed a vessel with water. Through the transparent base, the viewer sees the flames of burning furniture in a video loop. This notional act of destruction can also be read as the hearth being kept warm. The food will continue to be cooked for family and community, the inhabitants will not been driven away. The boat is propped up on railway sleepers, making it a container not for departure, with the floorboard extending out to receive the migrant/minority/passenger/viewer. This shift from three-dimensional to two-dimensional sculpture: the square metal sheets function as the base of the boat, bringing perspective into sculpture.' 

(Vivan Sundaram in a written exchange with Kamala Kapoor)

Exhibition details: 'House/Boat,' OBORO, Montreal; 1994.