Modern Living, a new performance artwork by Gerard & Kelly brought to life in collaboration with Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project, explores themes of queer intimacy and domestic space within legacies of modernist architecture. The project brings into dialogue two homes lived in by the architects who built them — the landmark Schindler House in West Hollywood, California, and Philip Johnson’s Glass House — and marks the first cross-country cooperation between these legendary sites working on a single artist’s project.

The Schindler House, built in 1921 by R.M. Schindler, housed two families who shared a kitchen, garden, and other common spaces—an early example of communal living. The Glass House famously sheltered its architect Philip Johnson and his partner, David Whitney, in a relationship that preceded the Stonewall rebellion. Working with the nine dancers of LA Dance Project, Gerard & Kelly have created a performance score that re-imagines the homes as sites of experiments in living, positing architecture as choreography for relationships. Performances at The Glass House will feature a collaboration with the artist and producer SOPHIE.

Gerard & Kelly’s Modern Living is presented by the MAK Center for Art & Architecture at the Schindler House and The Glass House and co-produced by L.A. Dance Project in cooperation with Art Production Fund. Modern Living is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support for the project is provided by Uri Minkoff, NeueHouse, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Gerard & Kelly (Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly) have collaborated since 2003. Working within an interdisciplinary framework to create project-based installations and performances, Gerard & Kelly use choreography, video, and sculpture to address questions of sexuality, memory, and the formation of queer consciousness. Their work has been exhibited at numerous institutions including the Guggenheim, New York; the New Museum, New York, the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and The Kitchen, New York. Gerard & Kelly have received numerous recognitions for their work, including the National Dance Project grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts (2015) and the 2014 Juried Award from the New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessies, in addition to grants from Art Matters (2014), Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts (2014), and the Van Lier Fellowship (2010). Gerard & Kelly completed the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program in 2010, and received their MFAs in 2013 from the Interdisciplinary Studio in the UCLA Department of Art. More information at gerardandkelly.com.

L.A. Dance Project is an artist collective founded in 2012 by renowned choreographer and dancer Benjamin Millepied, art consultant Matthieu Humery, founding producer Charles Fabius and composers Nico Muhly and Nicholas Britell. The organization’s mission is to create new work and to revive groundbreaking collaborations from influential dance makers, both in the theater and in non-traditional environments. New works by the company are multidisciplinary collaborations across artistic disciplines, and include visual artists, musicians, designers, directors and composers. The company has toured and given masterclasses at international venues and festivals including the Holland Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, La Maison de la Danse, the Saitama Arts Center, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Shanghai and Bejing Opera House and Theatre du Chatelet. In the US, the company has performed at venues including Jacob’s Pillow, Brooklyn Academy of Music and New York City Center. The company’s studios are located in Downtown L.A., where they have performed at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Music Hall, MOCA, Union Station, and The Theatre at Ace Hotel. In early 2015, the organization expanded its leadership team with the appointment of Associate Artistic Director Carla Körbes. More information at ladanceproject.com.

SOPHIE is an artist and a producer known for using future sounds and structures in both his solo work and his collaborations with musicians such as Madonna, QT, Diplo, and Le1f. After releasing a series of singles and products late last year, SOPHIE and CharliXCX revealed their anticipated collaborations with the Vroom Vroom EP in February 2016.