Mike Kelley's Mobile Homestead hit the road to bring a series of unique participatory performance events to the Sidewalk Festival and Dixieland Flea Market.
Known as µTopian Dinners, these day-long interactive performances invite guests to reimagine the "American" meal and explore the values we wish our culture(s) espoused by sharing food, conversation, and songs with artists from Detroit and around the world. Through cyber-linked connections we'll drink tea with friends in Tehran, enjoy brunch with artists in Beijing and examine how breaking bread with others across a variety of divides can help us understand more about the people in our own backyards.
µTopian Dinners are conceived and presented by Detroit-based performance artists The Hinterlands, Ava Ansari, and Renee Willoughby, with live performances by local and international guest artists. Unlike any type of typical dinner service, µTopian Dinners incorporate physical performance, live music, choreography, handheld video projection, long-distance calls, smartphones, and great food eaten in surprising ways. No reservations are necessary. Guests may drop in any time and stay for one course or the entire meal. Designed for people of all ages and backgrounds, µTopian Dinners are free and seating is offered on a first come, first served basis.
This year the Mobile Homestead visited Sidewalk Festival Detroit (located on Lahser Road between Grand River and Orchard Street in Detroit) on Saturday, August 4.
A second trip with be made to the Dixieland Flea Market (2045 Dixie Highway, Waterford Twp) on Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12.
ABOUT THE MOBILE HOMESTEAD
The Mobile Homestead is a site-specific public art project by the late artist Mike Kelley, permanently located on the grounds of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. A full-scale replica of the 1950’s ranch-style home in suburban Westland where Mike Kelley was raised, the Mobile Homestead was created to serve as a community gallery and gathering space programmed by and for a diverse public. The white clapboard facade is removable and designed to travel into communities throughout Detroit, offering various kinds of socially beneficial, free public services.
Mike Kelley's Mobile Homestead is commissioned by Artangel in association with MOCAD, LUMA Foundation, and the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts with the generous support of the Artangel International Circle. Support for Mike Kelley's Mobile Homestead is provided by the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts and the MOCAD Leadership Circle.