Here's something to make you Mid-Atlantic-ers feel warmer: A photographer and architect have recently sprayed an abandoned house in Detroit, Michigan with water, which froze into sheets of ice, in order to represent the nation's (and especially Detroit's) housing crisis.
On their blog, Gregory Holm and Matthew Radune report that nearly one in four houses in the surrounding neighborhood "is either in a state of disrepair or completely abandoned." According to Zillow, Detroit homes have lost thirty percent of their value, year over year.
After the ice melts in the spring, the house will be salvaged for materials.
Check out the video of the spray-down.
Images: Courtesy of Ice House Detroit
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Comments (12)
Cool. I've always wanted to pull that prank as a kid on someone's house. I guess I was just 33 years before my time ... or, well 23 years if you count when I actually wanted to do it.
Too bad they did not post pictures of the interior- it is breathtaking. For any Detroit peeps, this is right off of Mack and McClellan over near Indian Village.
Reminds me of Doctor Zhivago...
OOOH, how Dr. Zhivago!
Sadly, there are days when it almost looks like that on it's own around here -- New England. Not a fan of the cold...
What a waste of water just for the sake of art and to make a point that these abandoned homes are going to "waste!"
burnttoast, I agree exactly! I'm in Flint (50 miles north) and this has created a bit of buzz but I can't focus on anything but the insane waste of water! I understand that times are hard economically - but they're even harder environmentally. I think this is a huge waste of water and power for a "statement."
It's a shame that art is so often considered a waste of materials if it's not the conventional idea of art.'
poor detroit. my peeps just can't catch a break.
That's kind of what every house in Oklahoma looked like recently...
I also thought of Dr. Zhivago! My parents did this to small trees for us when we were little.
What a shame, that house could be so lovely, as I am sure is the case with many houses there about.
I do find it beautiful with the ice though.
I didn't really think of water waste, but then again clean water is plentiful where I am from so I often forget that it isn't so everywhere.
When I travel abroad I need to constantly remind myself that there probably isn't clean energy where I am visiting, and the water is most likely also something to use with respect.
Then i count my blessings at having clean energy and and water. It is precious.
I think the water waste is minimal--when it melts, the water goes right back into the ground.
Rather similar to Rachel Whiteread's House:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/this-is-the-house-that-rachel-built-rachel-whitereads-house-is-one-of-the-most-extraordinary-public-sculptures-to-have-been-created-by-any-english-artist-working-this-century-says-andrew-grahamdixon-here-he-examines-the-work-pictured-by-nicholas-turpin-and-below-whiteread-and-three-other-artists-nominated-for-the-turner-prize-describe-their-work-1501616.html