When presented with a dollhouse, it is only human to want to play out imagined experiences and stories. If we are willing to take a bite of the apple, we can be flung far from reality into an imagined work. This exhibition by Ruby Hoppen does what is most obvious and tempting – it plays house.
A Room of One’s Own gives us an opportunity to apply value and thought to handmade textiles. Changing the scale of objects to make them art is not a new concept, however perhaps it is still difficult to contextualise an object of domesticity as art. The beautiful thing about the dollhouse being a gallery space is that no matter how literally an artist takes the task of filling it up, the art is in direct relation to the architectural space (a toy) which is subverts the idea of the traditional “white cube” gallery.
The rooms in the dollhouse serve as an allegory for the four chambers of a heart. Each room is connected yet compartmentalised, allowing for the flow of imagination and play. The handmade or found object furniture, rugs and quilts in miniature trigger an ingrained desire to project a domestic narrative onto the scene. An invitation to play.
