Before LightScapes, Rainbow Castle, or Aura Readings, there was Aileen’s Aliens (2013) — the first-ever installation by artist Haiiileen, presented at III Points Festival in Miami.
This groundbreaking performance turned the act of makeup and styling into artistic transformation, merging fashion and performance into an interactive, immersive photo experience.
Inspired by the performative legacy of Cindy Sherman, the piece redefined beauty as a medium for identity exploration and artistic transcendence — marking the birth of Haiiileen as an immersive artist.
Title: Aileen’s Aliens (2013)Aileen’s Aliens
- Creative Director / Producer: Haiiileen
- Installation Type: Interactive Performance + Transformation Chamber
- Presented At: III Points Festival, Miami, FL
- Year: 2013
Description
“Aileen’s Aliens” (2013) marks Haiiileen’s first-ever art installation and performance piece — a pivotal work that ignited her transition from Makeup by Aileen to the multi-disciplinary artist now known as Haiiileen.
Unfolding during the inaugural III Points Festival in Miami, the piece transformed a backstage corner into a performance-based “transformation chamber.” Drawing from her years directing back-of-house fashion shows, Haiiileen invited participants to undergo a creative metamorphosis — turning guests into “aliens” through makeup, styling, and performative engagement.
Inspired by artists like Cindy Sherman, Aileen’s Aliens explored identity, transformation, and performative beauty as living art. The installation functioned as an early interactive photo booth experience, merging fashion, performance, and conceptual installation into a unified expression of self-creation.
“This was the moment I stopped making people beautiful and started making them art.”
This participatory performance launched Haiiileen’s immersive practice, planting the conceptual seeds for later works that combined art, audience, and environment into living, synesthetic worlds.
Conceptual Framework
- Introduces the idea of “transformation chambers” — immersive spaces where identity and beauty become ritual.
- Explores performance through fashion as an artistic medium rather than aesthetic accessory.
- Draws influence from Cindy Sherman’s performative identity work, expanding it into audience participation.
- Serves as the prototype for Haiiileen’s later immersive installations and social transformation environments.
- Represents the origin of Haiiileen’s philosophy of art as metamorphosis, merging light, performance, and emotion.
Archival Significance
- First public work under the Haiiileen conceptual framework.
- Marks the transition from fashion industry practice to fine art and performance.
- Pioneered the concept of interactive transformation spaces — an idea that predated today’s experiential installation trend.
- Established a collaborative foundation that evolved into larger participatory works (LightScapes, Rainbow Oasiiis, Art House).
- Serves as the archival genesis of Haiiileen’s synesthetic and immersive philosophy.
Archival ID: HQ-2013-AA-III-01
“Aileen’s Aliens was the moment I stopped doing makeup for transformation — and began creating transformation as art.”