Fun house, 1956. 1987 reconstruction
Wood, metal and other materials
415 × 600 × 300 cm
Richard Hamilton, John McHale and John Voelcker
Fun house is an installation that was conceived for the legendary exhibition This is Tomorrow organised by the Independent Group and held in 1956 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London. One of the most important features of both the installation and the exhibition was the development of a collaborative and interdisciplinary work process. The collage idea, closely linked to pop art, transcends the construction of the image and is inserted in the processes of thought and work. Artist Richard Hamilton, architect John Voelcker and also artist and sociologist John McHale made up the interdisciplinary team behind Fun House.
The structure, created by Voelcker, was covered by large images, featuring that of Robby the Robot taken from the Forbidden Planet film poster and the one of Marilyn in The Seven Year Itch. Elements and images of popular culture are mixed in the installation with references from the artistic avant-gardes, such as Duchamp’s rotoreliefs, but also with sound and moving images, creating a space for sensory experimentation.
