Summers might be for beaches and campfires, but the indoors still has a lot to offer with the “Entangled in the Everyday” exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). 

The gallery, which will be featured until Aug. 25, showcases a series of mundane objects and pictures captured from everyday life with the aim to sharpen our observation of the world.

One piece in particular that grabbed my attention was called “Crocheted Environment” by Faith Wilding. More than just a mere painting, It was a full closet-sized, black room with cream-colored crochet yarn hanging from the walls, all tangled like a spider web. 

Through this piece, Wilding was depicting the spectrum of women’s experiences with the long crochet yarn symbolizing women’s work over time. 

With the yarn tangling around me and the notion that the dark walls were closing in, the piece left me feeling trapped. The most memorable part of the whole piece was the eeriness it evoked within the whole room. 

The second artwork that caught my eye was called “Olympus” by Damien Ortega. This piece was a glass box that held every separate slice of a camera in suspended plastic sheets. It broke down the everyday technology and displayed the many components within.

Ortega was studying the relationship between technology and vision and revealed the complex composition of the camera. The piece made me consider the intricacies of the design process for other technological tools that we use in our everyday lives and brought a simple object to life. 

The third piece that stood out was “Discarded” by Anthony Hernandez. It was a photograph of an elderly man, standing inside a crowded bus. 

This photograph had an incredibly real and personal touch to it that drew me in. It captured a raw element of day-to-day life that isn’t always highlighted in the art world. 

The photograph was very representative of an honest look at city life. The image is truthful and shares all aspects of the urban setting, even if these moments might be considered mundane or unimportant. By capturing such ordinary snapshots, Hernandez was able to share a sense of genuinity through his art. 

If you are looking for something to do over the summer, take a moment to visit the ICA. I came into the ICA with a fairly closed mind, but while walking through the gallery, I was immediately engaged. It’s an experience that gives us a chance to take a closer look at the everyday elements of our world that might not be thought about and considered often. From the little components of a seemingly simple camera to a whole room full of tangled crochet yarn, the exhibit will make you pause and look deeper into the ordinary.