Group Hug

2024
Immersive INSTALLATION
DIMENSIONS VARIABLE

Group Hug was a literal manifestation of the work that goes into caring for one another. It was my first museum solo show and my most personal work to date. Inspired by my father's diagnosis with a life-changing medical condition that has caused our whole family to experience shifts in how we are used to giving and receiving care, Group Hug borrows its name from the answer to a New York Times crossword clue: “many-person act of support or affection.”

Upon entering, visitors chose one of two paths: ‘Care For’ or ‘Cared For.’ It was an implied question about what someone needs or wants, or perhaps just the role that they habitually fill. Your choice gave you either an increasingly difficult multi-person game swinging mallets at glowing ‘Needs,’ or a restorative pod with squishy leaf-shaped cushions and an ocean soundscape—resting only as long as the players could keep up with the ‘Needs.’ One group’s effort was the other group’s rest. Afterward, the layout flipped, and everyone who worked got to rest, while those who rested had an opportunity to care for others.

This candy-colored installation represented my unique halo-halo of experiences (a Tagalog term meaning ‘mix-mix’) and is reflective of my Filipinx-American background. Central to Group Hug and much of my work is the pre-colonial Philippine concept of kapwa, which represents a deeply shared identity and the belief that we have a moral imperative to care for others as we do ourselves. Group Hug offered a space for contemplation, interaction, and playful exploration about the impact of our choices on our collective well-being.

Group Hug was the result of a two-year residency and created in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, PA.

More Information:

• Listen to interview on The No Proscenium Podcast: “Of Group Hugs And Unresolved Rage w/ Risa Puno”, February 23, 2024.

• Read interview in White Hot Magazine: GROUP HUG: Interview with Risa Puno at The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, April 25, 2024.

• Read interview + 10-page feature in the print edition of July/Aug 2024 Sculpture Magazine: "Collective Effort: A Conversation with Risa Puno".

Special Thanks:

Maryam Sophia Jahanbin, Ronnie Puno, Regina Puno, Randy Puno, Avi Dobkin, Brett Kuehner

Audio Credit:

The intro music for the ‘Care For Together’ game features an adaptation of "Idaw" by Bayanihan, the National Dance Company of the Philippines, mixed with sound effects adapted from freesound.org under Creative Commons licenses by Daniel Poggioli (CC BY 4.0) and Robinhood76 (CC BY-NC 4.0). Additional sound effects for the game were adapted from recordings by Robinhood76 (CC BY-NC 4.0), Anikadl (CC BY 4.0), BockelSound (CC BY 4.0), and Leady (CC BY 3.0). The ambient sound in the 'Cared For' pods are adapted from recordings from freesound.org by Kevp888 (CC BY 4.0).