Ranch-Style Mirrored House Is a Chameleon Among the Mountainous Swiss Alps

Mirror House by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Stefan Altenburger.

Artist Doug Aitken reflects the beauty of the Swiss Alps in his latest installation called Mirage Gstaad. Consisting of a ranch-style home completely clad in mirrors, the structure now sits with the snow-covered peaks in Gstaad, Switzerland. The surface camouflages it amidst the mountains and evergreen trees, and from afar, Mirage Gstaad is completely in-sync with the landscape and seemingly disappears. But like a real home, you can enter the building—which also boasts mirrored walls and a ceiling. The angular interior has a kaleidoscopic effect that bends light and creates unexpected reflections.

This mirror house is modeled after the Californian ranch home design of the early 20th century. Inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the architecture of the American West, Aitken’s intention with Mirage Gstaad is two-fold. It’s an “echo chamber” that is continually creating a feedback loop of uninhabited nature yet one that has been interrupted by a human-made object. Additionally, its presence recalls traditions of both the U.S. and Europe. “Situated against the backdrop of Videmanette in Gstaad,” Aitken says, “Mirage Gstaad will bring the idea of the Manifest Destiny and the American West into contact with the European landscape and the tradition of the sublime.”

Aitken’s Mirage Gstadd is the third installment of this piece. Mirage was first placed in the desert outside of Palm Springs in 2017 and inside a former bank in Detroit in 2018. Its current setting is for ELEVATION 1049: Frequencies, which brought together international visual and performing artists from February 1 to 3, 2019. Aitken’s work will remain in the Alps for two years while “reflecting and interacting with the mountain landscape over the changing seasons.”

Artist Doug Aitken has installed his famous mirror house in the Swiss Alps.

Site Specific Land Art by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Site Specific Land Art by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Called Mirage Gstadd, it reflects the beauty of the mountainous landscape—inside and out.

Mirror House by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Stefan Altenburger.

Site Specific Land Art by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Site Specific Land Art by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Site Specific Land Art by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Mirror House by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Mirage Gstaad will be on view for two years.

Site Specific Land Art by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Mirror House by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019
Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo Torvioll Jashari.

Doug Aitken: Website | Instagram 

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by the Luma Foundation.

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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