Laurie Simmons’s work across media has long been inspired by theatricality, the authenticity of images, and the domestic space. Often her iconic photographic works have featured miniature dolls and toys set amid archetypal and cinematic scenes. In 2001, in collaboration with the residential architect and academician of domesticity Peter Wheelwright, she created a sculptural maquette of a dollhouse. Designed in an adaptation of the International Style, specifically the De Stijl group, the house is filled with works by Carroll Dunham, Peter Halley, Mel Kendrick, and Mel Bochner and with small-scale furniture by Karim Rashid, Jonathan Adler, and Dakota Jackson. With its suggestions of class and style, the transparent colorful house suggests leisure and the playful structures of the contemporary home.
In collaboration with DMINTI, ICA Miami worked with Simmons and Wheelwright to create The Kaleidoscope (…Bigger) House, an immersive public installation. Over the past decade, Simmons has continually engaged with technology, including artificial intelligence. In addition to experiencing Wheelwright’s life-size architectural details, the reimagined Kaleidoscope House is an interactive space that invites the public to engage directly with Simmons’ photographic visionary world. Using AI-driven features and interactive photographic triggers, visitors can step inside the installation and leave with a personalized digital keepsake that bridges art and technology.
See the immersive public installation The Kaleidoscope (…Bigger) House on view at 3900 NE 2nd Avenue through March 31, 2025.