A House for Tom is a space designed to incorporate the ideology of the work of the queer erotic artist Tom of Finland whose work has gone on to be made iconic amongst the gay community and is continued to be idolised to this day. The house acts as a space for the Adelaide Pride Centre to run a residency program where they can host artists who work with digital mediums for several weeks and exhibit work in the public gallery spaces located along the small lane.

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The most eye-catching feature of the scheme is the modernist style glass box warped by glass blocks which forces itself upon the existing period style cottage. Chosen for their ability to obscure, inside, the space becomes foggy and lets the artist exist within a private bubble where they can act out whatever activities they desire. Further to this, light can be controlled through black leather curtains, a material favoured by Tom of Finland.

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Provocative works are displayed on large digital screens located within tight, small, exhibition chambers. The tightness of these spaces allows the artist to create a more intimate experience with their displayed work which can also intensify a sense of awkwardness. Along the park, objects stick out and adorn the wall which have a hole cut out, these can be used to voyeuristically peek into the chambers and experience the work differently or see what may be happening in each.

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Outside of exhibition times and between residencies, the chambers allow for the sexual fantasies of Tom’s work to be performed. The chambers then become a space for people to hook up and “cruise” as if it were an open-air gay bathhouse. The openness of these chambers and the adjoining lane allows for safety through the act of audio surveillance as well as beckoning others to join.