Mass Market Alternatives exhibition
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
MAS Context and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO) present the exhibition “Mass Market Alternatives” by architect John Szot.
The exhibition will be on display from August 28 until October 2, 2017, at the AIADO gallery located on the 12th floor of the Sullivan Center (33 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60603).
About the exhibition
Industrialization has had a profound effect on the American suburb. Only American audacity could have concocted and executed the formula for mass-produced homes that dominates the suburban real estate market in the United States. And only in America could such a formula become an economic and political juggernaut, making places where matters of personal taste are amplified into cultural bulwarks.
“Mass Market Alternatives” seeks to exploit the economic leverage and aesthetic principles of mass-market suburban housing in order to diversify its potential customer base and challenge the reputation of the suburbs as enclaves of conservatism and political conformity.
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
The exhibition will be accompanied by two talks by John Szot in Chicago:
– September 26 at 4:15 pm at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
36 South Wabash, 12th Floor, Room 1226
Open to the public (ID Required)
– September 27 at noon at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Chicago
224 South Michigan Avenue, 5th Floor
Open for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill staff and MAS Context donors and contributors.
Frame from video featured in Mass Market Alternatives © John Szot
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
Mass Market Alternatives exhibition by John Szot © Iker Gil
John Szot is an award-winning architect living in New York, and his work related to building design has been exhibited internationally. In addition to his architectural practice, he has held teaching positions at Columbia University, University of Texas at Austin, and Parsons New School for Design, and currently teaches architectural design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. His forthcoming book Buildingness will be an independently published volume of drawings, images, and writings related to the work of his studio and slated for release in 2018.
www.johnszot.com | @johnszot
Exhibition credits
Author: John Szot Studio
Organizing institutions: School of the Art Institute of Chicago and MAS Context
Installation: Iker Gil, Julie Michiels, and Ken Byron
Printing: American Color Labs
Vinyl lettering: JNL Graphic Design
Models: John Szot Studio
Video: John Szot Studio











