“The Lake Living Room,” Lake Mendota’s newest sitting area has received a substantial amount of buzz from campus community members since its initial installation Sunday, an unintended consequence of what started out as a personal project between friends, co-creator of the “living room” Chelsi Zollner said.
Zollner, along with Zach Pereles and Andrea Leibrandt, initially set up the furniture on the frozen lake to serve as the background for a photo shoot.
Pereles said the three friends, all University of Wisconsin-Madison students, decided to create collaborative content for Zollner’s personal blog in an attempt to do something artistic.
“We were just talking about how we were kind of bored and uninspired and haven’t been doing anything creative,” Pereles said. “We really just wanted to do something.”
The students purchased all furniture from Madison’s St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, and Leibrandt and Zollner constructed the living room set with help from fellow Badgers who were out on the ice Sunday.
Zollner said the positive response from the community was unexpected, adding that she and her friends look forward to seeing what themes spectators draw from their installation.
“We hope it gives someone a special feeling and people are either building memories off of something, like it reminds them of something, or that they’re just seeing it as a place to hang out,” she said. “[It’s] just something fun and interactive. It’s not too often that you can do stuff outside here.”
The group, none of whom major in art, may pursue similar installations in the near future as they look for ways to “keep UW-Madison and the Madison community on their toes,” Pereles said.
He added he hopes the piece inspires those who may feel stuck in the Midwest.
“Don’t limit yourself just because we’re in Madison,” he said. “You can make things happen. You don’t have to wait for your dream or follow them, per se. You can take action, [make] more of an action statement rather than such a passive one.”
