I absolutely love and admire huge and ambitious installation art...the bigger the better! Ok, Ok... maybe not always, but this is definitely the case for Canadian artist Heather Benning. This amazing project, eight years in the making, is titled The Dollhouse for obvious reasons. Benning inherited this old farmhouse that had not been in use since the 1960's. So what did she do with this once dilapidated home? She renovated the interior to its last time period...the kitchy and colorful sixties! Not only that, but Benning kept the outside untouched from its current state, which creates a very uncanny contrast. Oh, did I forget to mention that she also took off one WHOLE SIDE of the house and replaced it with plexiglass?? That is truly amazing! It looks just like a dollhouse! I especially love this last photo that shows the strange, illuminating colors coming from the house against the drab and abandoned outside. What I wouldn't give to have been able to go into this life-size dollhouse, sixties trip.
The best part about this project, in my opinion, is how it ended. In 2012, it was decided that the house had become too dangerous for visitors to enter due to the current state of the house. So in a last hurrah, Benning set in on FIRE! What a way to go! Photos of the burning can be found on her artist website...and they are definitely worth seeing. Having such a dramatic end of to her last project, I cannot wait to see what Benning has next in store!
The best part about this project, in my opinion, is how it ended. In 2012, it was decided that the house had become too dangerous for visitors to enter due to the current state of the house. So in a last hurrah, Benning set in on FIRE! What a way to go! Photos of the burning can be found on her artist website...and they are definitely worth seeing. Having such a dramatic end of to her last project, I cannot wait to see what Benning has next in store!