Evelyn Temmel / Group XXXIX, Oct 2014 - Mar 2015

GROUP 39

3/13/15 to 3/15/15

Mackey Apartments and Garages 1137 S. Cochran Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90019

Brussels-based architects Bernhard Luthringshausen and Evelyn Temmel used questions of private space and visibility to analyze the venerated and vilified backyards of single-family properties in Los Angeles County. Through historical context, the backyard was examined through its communities and habits, and its visible-hidden binary was deconstructed through one of the more unique vernacular exploration methods in L.A.: the real estate agency open house. Staged and presented for the public, real estate agents will host an open house, where any interested person can come in off the street, take a look around, and talk with agents about the details and amenities of the lot and structure. As the entire event is a sales pitch, features of the house and property are often amplified and celebrated to the point of ideology, thus providing an occasion to see first-hand the motivations and myths that sustain those who defend the phenomenon as an inherent part of American life in places like Southern California. The Final Projects exhibition then featured a survey of visual and promotional materials collected through their visits to open houses around the city, a responsive installation, and texts examining the role of the backyard in the local ethos.