In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. They sneaked in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even secretly constructed a brick wall with a locking door, smuggling in over two tons of cinder block. Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all of its inhabitants: a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse to coordinate their artistic charity, and finally a 750-square-foot space that stuck it to the man.

Introduction by Kertu Johanna Jõeste, TAB 2026 competition winner Studio TÄNA architect.