Yan Lai Kung emigrated from China to Montana in 1888, bringing with her a strange collection. She lived to 103 years old and remained intensely private about these pieces. Even her own grandchildren—who grew up playing with them—could only guess their origins or true purpose. From what we can gather, the artifacts seem to allow the viewer to travel through time and space. The trunk offers glimpses of places and times gone by, like the longing brought on by a photograph of a long-ago home. The bookshelf transports the viewer to a state of atemporality, much like the feeling of getting lost for hours in a really good book. Research has been impeded by these time shifting qualities, causing scientists to lose track of days at a time.