Special Citation, 1990
American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter
Housing as Art: the Modern Way : 'Blueprints' traces two decades of Southern California home design at Temporary Contemporary
Los Angeles Times
Reading L.A.: The giant, complex legacy of the Case Study program
Los Angeles Times
Blueprints for Modern Living
The vast space of the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles provided the setting for this exhibition that paid tribute to the Case Study program to build experimental housing.
Conceived as a lens through which to acquaint a lay audience with then-current values and life-styles, the exhibit design features full-size, fully furnished replicas of the first and last houses from the series, equipped with correct period accessories, packaging, and appliances.
The design of the exhibit sought to create a scenographic experience which enveloped the viewer in the ambiance of a historical period, while revealing the technical and social intentions of the architects.
“Hodgetts + Fung fitted every imaginable architectural device - modulated spatial sequence, vista, chiaroscuro, silhouette, mass, color, texture and sound - to arouse our spatial, visual and kinetic awareness.” Douglas R. Suisman
In-house model builders constructed accurate wooden miniatures of each of the twenty-four houses in the series, while HplusF researched and produced a historical time-line which correlated contemporaneous global events, cultural events, and products to the program's objectives. A specially produced documentary video which featured interviews with clients, architects, and contractors was displayed on multiple screens of different sizes to emulate the lights of Los Angeles as seen from the Case Study House #22, the replica of which was positioned high over the exhibit floor in a dark environment.
The opportunity to impart curiosity and enthusiasm by using elements beyond conventional application was Hodgetts + Fung's mission in the exhibit concept. The popular success of the show lay in presenting traditionally esoteric material in an easily accessible, dynamic format, which appealed to the senses through a variety of media, including videotape, historical documentation, specially constructed miniatures, and the pervasive presence of artifacts and appliances from the period.