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Willow Smith will explore her anxiety by spending 24 hours locked inside a glass box as part of a performance art show at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles.
Smith told the Los Angeles Times that the piece is more about raising awareness, stressing that the exhibit is “for a real cause.”
“‘This is not so that people are like, ‘Oooh!’ This is for awareness,” she said.
“The first thing we’re going to be writing on our title wall is something along the lines of: ‘The acceptance of one’s fears is the first step toward understanding.’ So then you know this is on something real,” Smith added.
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Smith previously opened up to PEOPLE about her mental health struggles following the massive success of her 2010 single “Whip My Hair.”
“I was super young, and I had a dream, but all I really wanted to do was sing and I didn’t equate that with all the business and the stress that ended up coming with it,” she said.
Smith and her glass box collaborator Tyler Cole will highlight the various stages of anxiety for the exhibit: paranoia, rage, sadness, numbness, euphoria, strong interest, compassion, and acceptance. They will spend three hours in each emotion — completely in silence, with a glass wall separating them and visitors, who they will not interact with.
“We might grunt or scream — it’s going to be very primal,” said Smith.
According to the Los Angeles Times, three sides of the box will be composed of canvas, which Smith and Cole will use to paint. The duo will take two-minute breaks to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom, the report states.
Smith said she and Cole came up with the idea for the experiment while recording their joint alternative rock album “The Anxiety.”
“We were like, ‘Wouldn’t it be so interesting if we could personify this experience? Starting from being scared and feeling alone and moving to a place of acceptance and joy?” said Smith. “We understand this is a very sensitive subject. And we don’t want to be like, ‘Our experience is the experience.’ This is just us expressing our personal experience with this.”
Their album will be released immediately following the art performance, which runs this week beginning Wednesday, March 11 at 9 p.m. through Thursday at 9 p.m.
Audience members will be able to watch Smith and Cole for up to 15 minutes at a time.