Design of the Wombhouse, 2003

The design for the Wombhouse owes its origin to AVL’s sculptures of the female reproductive system. One of the sculptures caught the attention of a Belgian collector and retired gynaecologist, who had spent his life examining women. Excited by AVL’s magnified genitalia, the collector wanted to have a super-size version so that he would be able to go inside with his wife, children and grandchildren. AVL rose to the challenge with a new, expanded design, which is not quite anatomically correct. The womb has a bed and the vagina is an escape hatch; the right ovary holds a barbeque while the left sports a minibar containing bottles of booze instead of eggs. The design eventually gave birth to the real Wombhouse, an offspring with more features.