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The juxtaposition of the glass wall and video surveillance was the basis of
the "Slow House," an older work, and a bit of a detour from the issues of
public space, but it, perhaps better than any of our projects, puts into
question the opposition between mediated and unmediated experience.
Per the request of the client, the "Slow House," a vacation retreat in Long
Island, was to be perched at the edge of a bluff facing the sea,
engaging the view. This forced us to consider, what is a view? A "view" is
normally the prized asset of the vacation home, the object of optical
desire, usually constituted from scenery which exceeds the legal boundaries
of one's property. Of course, the view cannot exist without the picture
window. The picture window frames "nature" and collapses depth into the
surface of glass, in effect, turning the exterior into a representation and
turning nature into a living room trophy. In the real estate market, the
ocean view is most highly valued. Because there is nothing to see but the
horizon, the edge of the earth, the ocean view evokes simultaneous feelings
of mastery and feebleness.
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