Invisible House
Joshua Tree National Park, USA
It can also be rented for around four thousand euros per night for eight people. Money that cannot be better spent on a holiday, because the house is extraordinary, immersed in one of the most extraordinary places. That is the Invisible House, nestled in the middle of Joshua Tree National Park.
It really is invisible, because it is completely covered with mirror material making it visually completely similar to everything that surrounds it.
The visionary idea - it must be said - is Chris Hanley's, a film producer ( of, among others, American Psycho and Sofia Coppola's debut, The Virgin Suicides) with a passion for architecture, who wanted a house that looked like a screen. Building it in the middle of one of the United States' most iconic parks, however, is not as easy as imagining it, in fact, between constraints and resistance, the project has remained dormant for more than ten years. But then, thanks to the collaboration with architect Tomas Osinski, it is here with a respectful impact on the landscape.
Mirage
Coachella, USA
Mirror houses must exert a particular fascination on directors. The one placed in the desert valley of Coachella, in southern California (another similarity: if Joshua Tree gave its name to the famous U2 album, Coachella is home to one of the most famous music festivals) was born from the imagination of Doug Aitken, director and visual artist famous for his spectacular multimedia installations.
This amazing building (American ranch style) was created in 2017 for the Desert X festival, in which about fifteen artists were called upon to create open-air installations. This structure also houses the sky itself.
Mirage Gstaad
Gstaad, Switzerland
It was the European twin of the house in Coachella. According to Doug Aitken: “The viewer can come back to the piece as the seasons are changing, in fall in a storm or in the summer when it's a green pasture. As our lives change the artwork is shifting with us". Let's say that in Gstaad what prevailed was the white of the snow. We employ past tense because this 2019 installation was conceived with idea that it would only be exhibited for two years, before being dismantled.