The Mirage
Created by Doug Aitken
Imagine a man lost, wandering in the hot desert looking for water or some sign of safety. Suddenly in the distance he spots what looks like a lake, or possibly a road. As he walks forward toward the object it disappears. His moment of hope evaporates; what he saw was only a mirage.
A mirage is an illusion created when light is refracted by hot air rising from a road or desert landscape. It can take the appearance of a sheet of water, fooling the eyes, and an overheated brain.
Artist Doug Aitken decided to make a real mirage in the desert. He built a ranch style house in the Coachella Valley and covered every available surface with mirrors. I'd seen pictures of this fantastic house and knew it was located somewhere around Palm Springs.
In the spring of 2017 "Mirage" was featured in the Coachella Valley Desert X visual art exhibition and I was able to locate it in Desert Palisades. The Mirage house will remain on view after the exhibition closes at the end of May 2017, and will remain open through October 31, 2017.
When I arrived at the house around two o'clock in the afternoon, I found it to be even more impressive then I'd imagined. Not only is the exterior covered with mirrors, but the walls inside, and every available surface of the house is as well.
Mirage needs to be seen to be grasped at all. We took several pictures and made a short video to give you an idea what it was like to wander through this amazing art experience.
For more information about the Mirage house, you can go to Doug Aitken's website. Click here for dates and times it will be open. Be sure to plan to see it before it closes at the end of October 2017.
Here's a video of the house to give you an up close look.
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