House of the Century is a weekend home on the banks of Mo-Jo Lake, near Angleton, Texas. In this project, the art and architecture collective Ant Farm translated forms developed for their temporary, inflatable structures into more durable materials, achieving the group’s first permanent building. One focus of the San Francisco-based counterculture design practice was the documentation of its working methods. House of the Century was the main case study in A Ferrocement Instruction Guide, the group’s do-it-yourself guide. With its organic, phallic forms, this Futurist dwelling is an ironic homage to the space age and a reminder of the potential influence of wider cultural references in the creation of architecture and shelter. In this sense, the project is related to Ant Farm’s art performances, which characteristically reacted to—and produced inflamed commentary on—consumer and popular culture.
Gallery label from 9 + 1 Ways of Being Political: 50 Years of Political Stances in Architecture and Urban Design, September 12, 2012–March 25, 2013.
