Kikauka values supermarkets, thrift and surplus stores, flea markets and garbage dumps as contemporary cultural ‘museums’. A chronic collectoholic, Kikauka established The Funny Farm in 1986 (an 18 room farmhouse in rural Ontario) which embodied a studio/laboratory, living space, workshops, theatrical wardrobe room, and retreat for fellow artists. Over the past 30 years, Kikauka impacted The Funny Farm with objects that she collected in her travels (and which have traveled to her), transforming the farm into a giant interactive installation: the doors, carpets, and appliances were wired-up to activate various electronic sculptures.
Obscure consumer items and modified electronic objects were juxtaposed to create many different themes and environments such as: The Love-Den, The Turquoise, Beige, & Flesh Parlor, The KITCHen, The Green Room, The Disco, The Laboratory, The Macrame Owl Nook, The Robot Cellar, and a sympathetic White Room, which was simply white, for those who needed to recuperate from over-stimulation.
The Funny Farm hosted numerous bus tours, workshops, and events. It accidentally became a tourist attraction, as well as a source of confusion for local traffic, who would stop in to do their shopping – only to find out that it was NOT a store. The Funny Farm was sold in 1997 and is currently re-installed in the sprawling countryside of Meaford, Ontario.
