Tuesday, October 1, 2013 | TechNews

 

MCA Chicago's ‘Homebodies'

Khaleela Zaman
TECHNEWS WRITER

Most of us here at IIT live in some
sort of home, right? In a sense, we'are all
homebodies—people occupying the space we
call home. The wordf‘home” can evoke several
different emotions and memories in us. Some
people feel completely relieved when they '
cross the threshold into their home at the end
of a long day, while others might dread going
back home, remembering the conflicts between
him or herself and the other member(s) of that
home. . Home has also come to represent certain
jobs expected of each person occupying the
space. Even the pure architecture of the home
sometimes comes to mind.

Regardless of your feelings about
“home,” everyone can relate to an aspect of the
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s (MCA
Chicago) current exhibit, “Homebodies.” On-
display through October 13, this art gallery is
not meant for passive strolling beside artwork _
that cannot be touched or photographed.

“Homebodies” encourages direct
involvement of the viewer in making the
artwork. Upon first entering the exhibit, there
is a series of interactive installations along
the set of windows facing out the front of the
building: Alberto Aguilar’s “Home Field Play”
is composed of five different stations, each with

’ instructions for one to interact with the pieces
provided to make the art come alive.

Each station illustrates various
activities done in a home, but with a twist. You
are presented with opportunities to play ping
pong on top of a mirror, rearrange a bunch
of chairs in different orientations within the
perimeter of a carpet, change the VCR tape and
watch two movies at once on television screens
rotated sideways‘with the image reflected in a
mirror, make music with bells as you bounce
a balloon to keep it afloat, and recline on an
incredibly soft bed, sinking into the faux fur
with a book off the adjacent shelf.

Once you’re content to move on from
the Home Field Play (which might take a while
since it’s so much fun), the artwork shifts to
occupy the walls for the most part, rather than
the floor. However, you are allowed to walk
through an amazingly detailed, thin, green
home, and there is even an actual nail salon
installation hidden in the back of the exhibit.
The nail salon becomes a real,» functioning
business on select Saturdays, and you can make
an appointment to get your nails done there by
a professional. .

. The list of completely unexpected
surprises continues, including a short movie
chronicling the story of a family occupying the
model showrooms at Ikea.

No matter what comes to mind when
you think about the word “home,” there is
something you can relate to in the Homebodies
exhibit. Since most of the artwork is at the
proper scale for human occupation in the space,
this exhibit truly comes to life. connecting the
viewer with the artwork and encouraging you
to rethink your image‘of home. “Homebodies”
is on display at the Museum of Contemporary
Art Chicago (show your student ID to get the
small student rate and entrance to the entire
museum) only through October 13, and it is a
great way to temporarily escape the intensity
and stress of schoolwork. ‘

 

 

Photos by KhaIeeIa Zaman