The lovely wooden houses that you see here are not created to make you feel comfortable. They were designed by Kiyoto Ota (Japanese-Mexican sculptor) with the main purpose of making the inhabitant feel 100% vulnerable. One of the homes will simply automatically take air out of it and in the other one you can be sure you will be rained on, constantly.
These homes are on display at Museo Universitario del Chopo under the name Ota’s Tres Casas Extraordinarias. The structures are all shaped like really small dwellings but are completely uninhabitable. Ota declared:
“I’m erasing the function of the house, so for me it’s like a sculpture rather than a house. Take out the concept of the house where you feel safe, instead you feel vulnerable.”
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House number one, Vacia, is similar to the home of the parents of the artist, with a cruciform plan and 3 fans right into the walls. The fans will suck air from inside. If you are inside you end up breathing restricted. House number 2, de Lluvia is of an ellipse shape and with a shingles roof. Only one room exists but it constantly experiences ceiling downpour. If you enter, you are showered by water. The last house, de Alicia, is quite tall and made out of paler wood. You enter it and there is a stair that leads to practically nowhere except a really tiny window.
Kiyoto Ota’s 3 homes were built over 3 years, with the first one finished in 2014. Besides the homes there are also 3 wooden sculptures in the exhibit.
