2011/INTERIOR/STUDIO AND HOME

A house for CINDY SHERMAN is a project that looks at the ever changing character of Cindy Sherman and how that could be reflected in her everyday home life.

In Sherman’s work her form stays the same but her appearance alters her personality and identity through the use of make up, costume and hair. The concept of the building will be of the same principle, focusing on the doors and windows. Like Sherman their form will stay the same but the materiality and artifacts within the windows will show off different personalities. This will make a passer by question who lives in this house and what character Sherman will portray today. The multiple doors and window suggest she could appear at any of them as a different character.

Another key concept is light. Light is the basis for photography, so this has been incorporated into the design through the use of a perforated facade to the building, which allows light to filter through the exterior and into the interior. As the sun moves around the building the shapes and light inside will alter the textures on the walls and atmosphere within the space.

Sherman’s private life has been kept private through the use of the facade. It allows light in and can be seen out of easily enough but for cars driving down the street it isn’t so easy. Visitors are welcomed into a vaulted entrance where Sherman can choose to take them into her studio or to bring them into her home. This also acts as a barrier for herself from her own studio. Sherman often works for long periods of time in her studio and gets sick of her work once finished and doesn’t want to see it. So her studio is only accessible through a door off of the entrance.

A key feature of the entrance way is Sherman’s costumes suspended from the ceiling. This acts a storage place and a reminder to the visitors that she plays different characters and takes on different personas.