Photographed by Raimund Koch, ‘Mirage’, a typical California ranch style house completely clad in reflective mirrored surfaces was created by artist Doug Aitken. Sited outside Palm Springs in Southern California, at the juncture where the San Jacinto mountain range opens up to the Coachella Valley, Aitken’s work acts as a life-size kaleidoscope, reflecting the vast, arid landscape. framing and distorting its surroundings, the reflective installation changes throughout the day, creating a range of unique experiences. “Mirage distills the recognisable and repetitious suburban home into the essence of its lines, reflecting and disappearing into the vast western landscape,” says Aitken A seemingly ordinary suburban home becomes devoid of its inhabitants. ‘Mirage’ functions in response to the desert landscape that surrounds it, with its doors, windows, and openings removed to create a more fluid relationship with its environment. Mirage was part of Desert X art festival, an outdoor exhibition of art installations and site-specific works across the Coachella Valley and its desert landscape and is on view through October 31, 2017.
Exterior contextual view. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.
Exterior view of east facade, showing the landscape being reflected in the mirror clad facade. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.
View from a mirror clad room onto the surrounding landscape. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.
Detail of the surrounding landscape being reflected in the mirror clad exterior facade. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.
View from a mirror clad room onto the surrounding landscape. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.
Exterior contextual view. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.
Interior view through a succession of mirror clad rooms. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.
Detail of the surrounding landscape being reflected in the mirror clad exterior facade. Mirage, Palm Springs, United States. Architect: Doug Aitken, 2017.