It's funny the things that get lodged in our brains. In 1997, the artist Rirkrit Tiravanija [Don't worry, the art world has one-name brand stars, too. Did you know Iman's last name is Abdulmajid? True. Our waiter showed us her credit card receipt.] created Untitled: 1997 (Playtime) as part of the Projects Series at MoMA.
In the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden [designed by Philip Johnson], Rirkrit created a child-sized version of an International Style pavilion. I want to call it Miesian, I really do. And MoMA calling it a pavilion doesn't help. But with the circular closet thing in the middle, and the Garden architect reference, it's better to call it a Glass Playhouse. It was just 6' high, so an adult really got the feeling of being in a child's space.
I can't find any photos of the interior, but there were a couple of big, low tables. The Education Department had prepared a curriculum/activity element for the project, and within a week or so, the Playhouse windows began filling with kids' taped up drawings. A fun mess that'd probably drive a fastidious modernist crazy.
Untitled: 1997 (Playtime) by Rirkrit Tiravanija [moma.org, which has one small, clean picture]
Philip Johnson's 1947 Glass House will be opening this Spring for visits [nationaltrust.org]
Awesome... Makes me wonder: Has anyone built this mini modern as the kid's backyard playhouse?