By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rockford native Bob Schlehuber has traveled to cities across the world in the pursuit of connecting people through art and culture.
His latest project will leave him completely alone.
The 38-year-old artist and self-described international peace builder has pledged to spend 72 hours this week in an 8-by-16 foot isolation room with no phone, no internet, no books, journals or outside communication.
The project, called A Reflection on Isolation, is part performance art and part mental endurance challenge. Schlehuber is doing it in conjunction with Fall ArtScene in an effort to raise awareness about what the U.S. surgeon general has called an epidemic of loneliness and isolation.
“Art elicits conversations,” Schlehuber said. “I’m trying to bring attention to it and bring people into conversation — and that’s what art does.”
The isolation room is set up at Test Site, 213 N. Third St., an office space community of artists and entrepreneurs in downtown.
Schlehuber will step inside the room at 5 p.m. Wednesday and he won’t see, hear or speak to another person again until 5 p.m. Saturday. His time in isolation will be live-streamed and viewable through two-way mirrored windows that he cannot see out.
Inside the isolation room
His food will be pushed through an unlocked door twice a day, and his bathroom is a bucket and sawdust that will also be taken from the doorway.
There is a mattress and blankets for him to sleep, but otherwise the room is empty.
The walls inside are painted white, contrasting with the black exterior, and Schlehuber will be dressed in all white. Inside are 13 eye-level mirrors covering the walls. The row of mirrors gives the disjointed feeling of being alone while also completely surrounded by yourself.
Inside the isolation room is a smaller isolation room, a dark closet-like area covered with mirrors. That space feels simultaneously confined and infinite with the mirrors’ reflections. After Schlehuber emerges Saturday, people can provide a donation toward peace building efforts and spend three minutes in that room.
Schluber said he will spend the time reflecting on those who are in solitary confinement, seniors who don’t have family who visit them, cancer patients who are often alone in between treatments and others who face isolation.
Earlier this year, an American Psychiatric Association survey found that one in three adults experience loneliness every week, and 10% said they feel lonely every day.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said loneliness is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression and premature death. The mortality impact is similar to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, he wrote in 2023.
“So much of our society revolves around isolation and putting people in isolation — so I hope this is a call to action and kind of an awakening,” Schlehuber said.
Isolation can have a profound negative effect on our mental health, Danielle Angileri, executive director of NAMI Northern Illinois, said in a statement of support for the project.
“Addressing the effects of isolation is essential not only for raising awareness but also for fostering environments that encourage open dialogue and support systems,” she wrote. “By supporting you and sharing in this movement, we can break down stigma, promote understanding, and encourage proactive measures to connect with and support those who may be struggling.”
Looking in
The isolation room has three two-way mirrored windows that allow for people to look in at Schlehuber, although he cannot see out. (There is a private area around a corner for his bathroom.) There are also cameras affixed to the top of the room to live stream his solitary.
“People are going to be uncomfortable with how uncomfortable Bob looks, and how alone he feels,” said Mary McNamara Bernsten, executive director of the Rockford Area Arts Council. “It will bring up your own feelings of loneliness when you see this person isolated from society.”
In collaboration with Schlehuber, nine artists will have work on display near the isolation room: Eamonn James Talkington, Valentina Fedoseeva, Eddaviel, Alizé Jireh, Benjamin Chauvin, Jahbarr S. Hyles, Roni Golan, Tom Stone and the late Roland Poska.
McNamara Bernsten said it can be powerful and effective to use art for causes such as mental health awareness, health care and social justice issues.
“When you use an art form as a vehicle for a message … it’s so much more powerful to have a layered exhibit,” she said. “We are seeing people push the boundaries on our typical ArtScene.”
About | A Reflection on Isolation
When: 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 through 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5
Where: Test Site, 213 N. Third St., Rockford
Livestream/info: peacebuildingconnections.org/isolation
Isolation experience
What: You can spend three minutes inside a dark, mirrored isolation room built specifically for Fall ArtScene to experience the feeling of solitude after Bob Schlehuber emerges from his three-day stay. Tickets for the experience are sold for a donation toward peace-building efforts.
When: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5
Tickets: Go HERE
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas