http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com Kirsten Rae Simonsen Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:46:11 +0000 http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com en http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Peak-Oil http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Peak-Oil Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:46:11 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2580963 This series is best explained by critic Jaimey Hamilton who wrote about it when reviewing the 2008 Eco/Logic show: "Kirsten Rae Simonsen titled her drawing of a '70s-style car surrounded by a halo of fire 'Peak Oil.' She brings back pop artist Ed Rusha's deadpan humor to remind us that decades ago we already were ambivalent about how consumer car culture was affecting our world." <img src="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/peak_oil.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="490" width_o="1024" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/peak_oil_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/atomic_car.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="502" width_o="1000" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/atomic_car_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/drag_race.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="521" width_o="1024" height_o="797" src_o="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/drag_race_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/ghost_car.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2580963/ghost_car_o.jpg" align="left" /> http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/A-Terrible-Thing-Happened http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/A-Terrible-Thing-Happened Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:26:20 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2460162 <img src="http://payload8.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2460162/a_terrible_thing_happened.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="487" width_o="1000" height_o="728" src_o="http://payload8.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2460162/a_terrible_thing_happened_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload8.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2460162/but_i_think_im_going_to_be_ok.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="494" width_o="1000" height_o="738" src_o="http://payload8.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2460162/but_i_think_im_going_to_be_ok_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2005 http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Terrible-Things http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Terrible-Things Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:31:48 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2459871 <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459871/terrible_things_1.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="538" width_o="1000" height_o="803" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459871/terrible_things_1_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459871/terrible_things_2.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="501" width_o="1024" height_o="766" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459871/terrible_things_2_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459871/terrible_things_3.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="501" width_o="1000" height_o="749" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459871/terrible_things_3_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2005 http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Even-Girls-Have-Trouble http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Even-Girls-Have-Trouble Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:23:26 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2459823 <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/running_scared.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="520" width_o="1002" height_o="778" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/running_scared_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/running_scared_detail.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="762" width_o="879" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/running_scared_detail_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/leave_me_alone.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="499" width_o="1000" height_o="745" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/leave_me_alone_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/leave_me_alone_detail.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="808" width_o="805" height_o="971" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/leave_me_alone_detail_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/story_of_a_girl.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="505" width_o="1000" height_o="754" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459823/story_of_a_girl_o.jpg" align="left" /> http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Tiny-Chairs http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Tiny-Chairs Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:44:40 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2459630 <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_1.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="920" width_o="728" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_1_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_2.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="930" width_o="720" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_2_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_3.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="965" width_o="694" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_3_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_4.JPG" border="0" width="670" height="668" width_o="2032" height_o="2028" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_4_o.JPG" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_5.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="645" width_o="1000" height_o="963" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_chair_5_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/the_last_resort.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="659" width_o="1064" height_o="1048" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/the_last_resort_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_couch_3.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="646" width_o="1448" height_o="1397" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459630/tiny_couch_3_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2011 http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Tiny-Ladders http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Tiny-Ladders Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:26:42 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2459547 <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_1.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="964" width_o="713" height_o="1026" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_1_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_2.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="1024" width_o="640" height_o="1024" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_2_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_3.jpg" border="0" width="638" height="1024" width_o="638" height_o="1024" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_3_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_4.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="1008" width_o="680" height_o="1024" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459547/tiny_ladder_4_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2010 http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/I-m-Really-Glad-I-Met-You http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/I-m-Really-Glad-I-Met-You Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:23:18 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2459515 <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459515/Im_really_glad.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="569" width_o="1024" height_o="871" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459515/Im_really_glad_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459515/I_hardly_ever.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="562" width_o="1024" height_o="859" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459515/I_hardly_ever_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459515/Well_hon.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="527" width_o="1024" height_o="806" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2459515/Well_hon_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2007 This body of work consists entirely of actual yearbook phrases. http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Country-Living-for-Everyone http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Country-Living-for-Everyone Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:08:53 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 2441140 <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/07.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="534" width_o="962" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/07_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/01.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="539" width_o="954" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/01_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/08.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="533" width_o="965" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/08_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/02.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="537" width_o="958" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/02_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/05.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="532" width_o="966" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/05_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/06.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="535" width_o="961" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/06_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/04.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="535" width_o="961" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/04_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/03.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="533" width_o="964" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/03_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/09.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="492" width_o="1024" height_o="752" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/09_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/10.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="498" width_o="1024" height_o="762" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/10_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/11.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="499" width_o="1024" height_o="764" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/11_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/12.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload7.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/2441140/12_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2011 This work is from a solo exhibition entitled Country Living for Everyone (Flux review of the show). I have always been interested in domestic architecture, and previous bodies of work have focused on Levittown and the Cape Cod, Ranch, and Colonial suburban house styles, as well as the semi-detached in the UK. The original idea behind the growth of suburbia in the UK and the United States was that it was meant to be "country living for everyone." Suburban homes initially were meant to recall the experience of the English country cottage: a lovely, calm retreat from the chaos of the city. In California in the early 20th century, suburban home builders began to adopt various hybrid European styles, including Mock Tudor, French Norman, and the so-called "Storybook" style. These styles spread to many parts of the country. Hart Wood, a well known architect at the time, wrote an article praising the "English cottage style" as a perfect style for suburban living. These hybrid European cottages speak to an odd and incongruent fantasy of displacement: the idea of bringing the "old country" to the United States to convey a feeling of wealth and privilege. While not as ubiquitous as the Cape Cod, Ranch, and Colonial suburban house styles of Levittown, this displaced European architecture is embedded in the architectural history of the United States. The ongoing body of work I present here depicts the houses mentioned above, and explores which amenities or diversions these suburbanites might have hoped for, or expected (a deer park? a private zoo?). What fairy tale fantasies are embedded in these miniature castles and cottages? What would draw an American to a European hybrid cottage or castle as a home choice? http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Single-Family-Home http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Single-Family-Home Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:46:07 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 999214 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/home_sweet_home_1.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="537" width_o="1080" height_o="867" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/home_sweet_home_1_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/2.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="1024" width_o="944" height_o="1444" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/2_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/3.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="1004" width_o="971" height_o="1456" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/3_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/1.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="1004" width_o="952" height_o="1427" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/999214/1_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2011 The original idea behind the growth of suburbia in the UK and the United States was that it was meant to be "country living for everyone." Suburban homes initially were meant to recall the experience of the English country cottage: a lovely, calm retreat from the chaos of the city. In the first Levittown suburbs, houses came in three models: the Cape Cod, the Ranch and the Colonial, and white picket fences came as part of the single family home “kit” and were attached to houses after they were built. Families were encouraged to “trade up” to a larger home as soon as possible. My work reflects my mixed feelings about my own Midwestern suburban past growing up in a "Cape Cod" model house: most of the life-changing experiences I had growing up in the suburbs occurred in a cul-de-sac, at the Denny's, in the shopping mall, at suburban birthday parties, or in cars. http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/Semi-Detached http://www.kirstenraesimonsen.com/following/kirstenraesimonsen.com/Semi-Detached Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:45:59 +0000 Kirsten Rae Simonsen 1279241 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/1279241/4.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="993" width_o="971" height_o="1440" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/1279241/4_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/1279241/5.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="1014" width_o="956" height_o="1448" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/1279241/5_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/1279241/6.jpg" border="0" width="670" height="1004" width_o="971" height_o="1456" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/73485/1279241/6_o.jpg" align="left" /> 2011 The semi-detached house consists of a pair of houses built side by side and is a common type of suburban housing in the United Kingdom. Essentially, the semi-detached offers only half of a house, and often the adjacent houses are exact mirror images of each other. The "semi" gives a family the illusion of personal space and yet is attached to another house. Semi-detached could also refer to an emotional state: one is detached, but only partly. It points to a sort of defocused ennui that one feels growing up in the suburbs. In this piece, only half of a semi-detached is depicted, to signify the illusion of private property that type of housing offers.