Heather Benning, Artist

T h e   D o l l h o u s e

The Dollhouse was an 8 year project, which reached completion on March 23rd, 2013.  In 2005 I acquired the use of a farmhouse, abandoned in the late 60's.  The house was located near Sinclair Manitoba on highway #2.  For over 18 months ( - winter) I re-shingled the roof with recycled shingles and restored and furnished the house to the era the house was abandoned.  I then removed the north-facing wall and replaced it with plexi-glass.  The house was officially opened to the public June 9th, 2007.  The house then stood tomb-like as a life-sized dollhouse for 6 years.  

In October of 2012 the house began to show its age, the foundation was compromised.  The house was only meant to stand as long as it remained safe.  In March of 2013 The Dollhouse met it's death with fire.
The Dollhouse images are currently represented by "Telephone Booth Gallery" in Toronto.

Text and images from the artist's website. Link here. 

Landscaping the Death Strip: A Vision of the Berlin Wall as a Giant Garden

While the Wall stood, the zone between East and West Berlin was a potentially deadly space. But since the end of the Cold War, it has mostly stood barren. Now a Dutch landscape architect, Joyce van den Berg, wants to transform the former no man's land into a series of secret gardens and recreational areas.  Link here to read the article. Source is Spiegel Online.