THE NEW YORKER, Oct 24, 2005

“TRACKING SUBURBIA” / “DO YOU LIKE STUFF?”
Suburbia is mostly an American invention, inspired by early Dutch and English settlers’ predilection for detached houses, but here photographers from Fischli & Weiss to Jean-Frédéric Schnyder plumb the depths—or, more precisely, scan the bland surfaces—of Eurosuburbia. More charming is the companion show, “Do You Like Stuff?,” which explores the drive to catalogue, collect, and display information. Barb Choit’s photographic archive of eBay lots ranges from a dancing Coke can to a full-scale automobile-transport trailer. Mike Bouchet’s text-only DVD “film series” offers a chance to read “great” works from “Star Wars” to “You’ve Got Mail” in scrolling script, and Frank Olive’s installation “Useful Things” encourages visitors to take something with them, like a sponge, earplugs, or a banana. Through Oct. 22. (Swiss Institute, 459 Broadway. 212-925- 2035.)