DREAM HOMES
about the installation
PIN—UP
ESTABLISHED 2006, NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Throughout its history, the United States has given rise to intentional communities united by shared values, ideals, and domestic space. The film Dream Homes chronicles three contemporary LGBTQIA+ communal living structures across the nation, exploring daily life in these rural and suburban sanctuaries. Created by the independent media platform PIN–UP in collaboration with living collectives House of GG, Lupinewood, and Ten of Cups Farm, the film reveals how these communities cultivate a profound sense of home while defying mainstream norms that often exclude queer people. Dream Homes simultaneously challenges and reaffirms the country’s emphasis on freedom, individualism, and ingenuity.
Visual Description
The gallery is dimly lit, and there is dark wall-to-wall carpeting. A large square platform, shaped like a bed, also fully covered in carpet, is in the center of the room against the right wall providing seating for the film Dream Homes, on the wall opposite. The wall is covered by black curtains which open to reveal the film playing on a large screen. The film depicts scenes such as a group of Black women being greeted by trans activist and elder Miss Major as they receive a tour of a home with a pool and cozy spaces of relaxation. Another scene depicts an intergenerational group of white people living collectively and in a rural wooded area. Facing the video, on the wall to the right there is only a window that has been shuttered. On the wall to the left of the video there is a fireplace made of bricks with a wood mantle. Above the mantle is a white wall with the woven textile Home is Where We Are Allowed to Dream hanging above. The textile is roughly 2 feet high and 3 feet wide. It’s made of wool from Teotitlán del Valle and has a thick bright red border that frames a cream color rectangle that holds the text “Home is where we are allowed to dream” in the same bright red as the border. Twisted white tassels a few inches long hang from the top and bottom of the textile. A spotlight shines on the work emphasizing its dimensionality as it lifts slightly off of the wall casting a shadow of hanging tassels.
Acknowledgements
Featuring House of GG (established 2019, Arkansas), Lupinewood (established 2017, Massachusetts), and Ten of Cups Farm (established 2012, Washington).
Concept by Michael Bullock and Felix Burrichter for PIN–UP. Directed by Michael Bullock and Michael Cukr. Cinematography and post-production by Michael Cukr. Original score by KUKII. Artwork by Andy Medina. Exhibition design by Felix Burrichter for PIN–UP. Assistant exhibition designer Katharina Sauermann.
With research and support from Adam Eli, Ben Ganz, Elana June Margolis, Toshio Meronek, and Journey Streams.
This installation is made possible with additional support from Apple and Maharam.
Andy Medina (born 1993, Oaxaca, Mexico; active Oaxaca and Mexico City, Mexico), Home is Where We Are Allowed to Dream, 2024, Wool made in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, with Taller Gente Zapoteca
