Alps View’s Changing with the Seasons at the Mirage Gstaad Mirror Pavilion by Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken, an American artist has built a small installation in the form of a typical modern city house located in the desert of Palm Springs. Mirage Gstaad is the name of a work of art whose entire structure is covered by mirrors.

This mirror building will visually reflect its surroundings and disguise the structure itself as if it were in camouflage. When visitors come to Mirage Gstaad, they can see up close and even walk inside the building where mirrored walls frame the windows and skylights.

As a reflective pavilion, the artwork reflects the visual atmosphere of the surrounding environment which is set against the backdrop of the Alps. Of course, the reflective reflection of the sky and the scenery will change as the seasons change through the mirrors that cover the entire Mirage Gstaad.

“I see the Mirage as a human-scale lens that the viewer will enter, and in the process, they will become masterpieces. I am also very interested in art that is constantly changing, art that changes with the landscape” Aitken said.

Uniquely, the windows and doors in this house don’t have a cover, he leaves this house open as is. Inside the building, the reflective surfaces create a kaleidoscopic effect that is meant to cause visitor confusion rather than comfort. Like a ride in a night market that creates endless bounces.

When in summer, the roof reflects the clear blue sky and the sides seem to blend with green meadows and tiny colorful wildflowers. If you look at it from a certain angle, Mirage seems to blend in and even become a part of the natural surroundings, while from another point of view it will reflect something nearby.

In contrast to summer, when in winter ice will hang from the pavilion and snowflakes drift in through the open skylights. The Pavilion will also feature a sunrise to sunset view that creates a changing light, so the Mirage will feature predominantly white reflections and some winter ascents outdoors. At night, the lights will come on and the light will penetrate through the open windows.

The Mirage Gstaad installation team also added a horizontal black stripe placed every three centimeters to the facade to demarcate the reflective surface so that birds can build nests for breeding and buildings are visible to them.