NEW YORK, NY – From September 22 to October 1, the multidisciplinary design studio and showroom cafรฉ Hudson Wilder in DUMBO, Brooklyn, will act as a sanctuary not only for contemporary home goods, but also for the curated art and design exhibit “Playing House”.ย
Hudson Wilder’s studio-showroom-cafรฉ has transformed into a world that prompts viewers to think twice about the (or even, their) familiar. Everyday objects are delicately placed in the most inconspicuous areas in the studio. Viewers should not be surprised to see a singular white egg balancing delicately between two springs below an electrical box, for example.
Playing Houseย is the debut exhibition of three emerging curators: Angela Yang, Clara Leverenz, and Sophie Taylor, whose backgrounds span architecture and art history.
During the opening reception on Wednesday evening, Taiwanese performance artist Liang-Jung Chen brought an entanglement of wires loosely attached to the ceiling to mercy with a pair of pliers. Prompted by her own experiences from traveling, particularly internationally (the artist herself is based on London but is originally from Taiwan), she cited her frustration of needing to switch adapters when traveling across continents.
Each time an opportunity presented itself to intertwine two neighboring wires, she deftly ascended a stepping stool and fused the ends together with a cigarette lighter.
Disorder, entanglement – these are the themes of every day life that we seek to extrapolate meaning from. From watching the artist repeat this motion (ascend, identify, fuse), we come to understand how the disparateย entities pose as nodes that we repeatedly (just as the artist herself does) attempt to create connections between.
This performance is the epitome of the exhibit itself – even something as simple or overlooked as adapters (or lack of the country-appropriate ones) can force us to reimagine the mundane. Playing House poses the following question to viewers:
“What might happen if we play house?”
Indeed, spending just thirty minutes in this space allows attendees to depart from their accepted version of reality. Even the amalgamation of the contemporary home goods that it is known for with the mix of artistic styles fosters a dissonance that keeps viewers on their toes.
Playing House is now on view through October 1 at Hudson Wilder (142 Plymouth St) in Brooklyn.
Viewing hours are Wednesday – Saturday from 11am – 6pm.ย
Selected pieces are also available for purchase; prices upon request.ย
