Open House 1972
In the spring of 1972, visionary artist Gordon Matta-Clark transformed an abandoned industrial space in New York's SoHo into an unconventional gallery of absence and possibility.
Director: Gordon Matta-Clark
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Open House (1972) about?
Gordon Matta-Clark's Open House reimagines an abandoned building in SoHo by cutting three large openings into its walls and filling it with discarded doors and wood. The film documents the artist and a group of friends transforming the structure during an opening-day performance, turning a derelict space into a temporary arena for dialogue between art and urban decay.
Who directed Open House?
Gordon Matta-Clark directed Open House. He was a pioneering figure in the late 20th-century art world, known for his radical architectural interventions and critique of urban environments.
Who stars in Open House?
The film features Gordon Matta-Clark alongside artists Tina Girouard and Keith Sonnier, along with a circle of creative collaborators who participated in the site's opening performance.
Is Open House (1972) worth watching?
As a short experimental film rooted in 1970s conceptual art, Open House offers a unique slice of avant-garde history worth seeing for fans of Matta-Clark's work or those curious about architectural interventions. While not mainstream cinema, its raw energy and thematic depth make it compelling within its niche.
How long is Open House?
Open House runs for 41 minutes.
About Open House (1972) — Gordon Matta-Clark's daring architectural intervention captured on film
In the spring of 1972, visionary artist Gordon Matta-Clark transformed an abandoned industrial space in New York's SoHo into an unconventional gallery of absence and possibility. By slicing three bold apertures into the building's facade and filling the interior with salvaged doors and timber, he created an open invitation to reimagine architectural space and community. The film documents the site's opening-day performance, a raw and collaborative moment featuring Matta-Clark alongside artist Tina Girouard, multimedia pioneer Keith Sonnier, and a circle of friends whose presence turned the structure into a living canvas.
This experimental short captures more than an art installation—it freezes a fleeting gesture of urban intervention and creative solidarity in 41 minutes of grainy, evocative footage. The soundtrack of clanging metal and whispered conversation mirrors the tension between destruction and creation, inviting viewers to reflect on how space defines us as much as we define it. Open House (1972) remains a vital artifact of 1970s avant-garde culture, a time when art dared to blur the lines between object and experience.