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Mirrored House Camouflages into the Mountainous Californian Desert

site specific installation doug aitken

Springing up from the Southern Californian desert, Doug Aitken‘s mirrored house Mirage reflects like a jewel. The art installation was created for Desert X, a festival that fills the Coachella Valley with site-specific art by 15 established and emerging artists.

As both artist and filmmaker, Aitken has a knack for artwork that lives in context. Using a ranch style house, the American artist transforms the banal lines of suburban architecture into a reflection on the landscape. By cladding the exterior in mirrors, the house seemingly folds itself into its surroundings, a chameleon that changes throughout the day.

With its doors and windows removed, the house's fluid relationship with the environment is heightened. By losing sense of indoor and outdoor, the structure moves in synchronicity with the landscape.

“Like a human-scale lens, Mirage works to frame and distort the evolving world outside of it. There is no single time to view this work, as each variation provides something new…,” the artist writes. “There is no fixed perspective or correct interpretation. Each experience of this living artwork will be unique.”

Mirage  will be visible until October 31, 2017. Check the schedule for opening hours.

This site specific art installation in the Coachella Valley is constantly evolving throughout the day.

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site specific installation coachella valley

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art installation southern california

desert x art festival

site specific installation coachella valley

art installation with mirrors
Doug Aitken: Website | Instagram
h/t: [Colossal]

All images via Lance Gerber.

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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