Untitled House is a collaboration between three artists from the Visual Arts program at Swinburne University, Roh Singh, Larry Parkinson and Morganna Magee with the Knox City Council. When looking to overlay an artistic vision using the space of the house we were immediately drawn to the nostalgic notions of suburbia, large spaces, generations of family, history of land ownership and the individual stories and collective experiences. However, this suburban utopian view is rapidly becoming a nostalgic one. The Great Australian Dream of home ownership is being challenged in contemporary Australian life. The experience of home ownership is in decline and issues around housing affordability are a real threat, becoming an ephemeral idea, one that many are watching slip from the horizon. The concept of the tangible disappearing out of sight and out of reach is one of the central intentions of the House project.

It is the shift in this social change, our aspirations and the elusiveness of attaining this dream now and for the future that is symbolized through a mirror cladding of the facade. The natural position of the house sitting high on the block gives reflections predominantly of the sky and the distant vista. This clad structure reflects and absorbs the changing ambience of its surrounding environment, the sky, mountains and the suburb itself. Through covering the houses exterior with a mirrored surface brick by brick, we hope to echo a sense of this disappearing, bringing a symbolic impression of the house being lost to the environment.

The spaces and rooms within the house also have the overlay of the central theme. This continuity has produced a series of sensitive artworks and installations that activate the spaces and individually add to the conversations around ‘home’ and ‘place’. This house has presented multiple spaces in and out for artistic intervention. It has presented an opportunity to create a series of artworks that use architectural interventions, installation, sound art and various photographic processes. The individual artworks in these rooms have been conceived to reflect and evoke memories and thoughts from both the Knox community and the ‘house visitors’ in various immersive ways.