This incredible transforming theater, built from salvaged pieces of a deserted home, is more than meets the eye. A community theater in disguise, its contents unfold from a conventional A-frame to reveal a dynamic on-demand public viewing space.
Dubbed Open House by creator Matthew Mazzotta, what was once a dilapidated home in downtown York, Alabama, has been turned into a secret room on a large scale. The pieces were taken apart and turned into convertible stage and seating for 100+ people, but are still recognizable as elements of the house from which they came – a tribute to history with new functionality.
The venue features performances, films, music and dances. Located between the town’s central grocery store and post office, it is ideally situated to be the area’s primary community space.
Mazzotta’s “work evolves from an interest in exploring the relationship between people and their environments, as well as between each other. My practice is conceptual and manifests as participatory public interventions that aim at bringing criticality and a sense of openness to the places we live …. The objects, situations, and spaces I create as community projects and participatory interventions.”
“Often times these projects include working with local laborers, academics, engineers, builders, community members, activists, artists, poets, and anyone else that is willing to be involved in something experiential and participatory … By piercing through the roles we play in public, we break up the narratives of specific public spaces. “
