Art Installation
60+ working hours; March – May 2023
Co-Artist: Eda Fisgin
Located at River Hill High School
Home Depot shopping list:
1. 4 pieces of 96×48 in corrugated plastic
2. Retractable knife
3. Large metal ruler
4. Eda losing her phone
5. Car not fitting the plastic sheets
Base Structure
While we could not build the entire house with wood due to weight restrictions for transportation and wood prices, we used a wooden structure to create a sturdy base with minimal cost.
We attached two wooden playhouse sets together to create a structure of 8ft x 4ft x 5ft to comfortably fit 2+ people.
200 cardboard shingles
Over the course of 3 days (totaling 9 hours) we traced and cut out 200 cardboard shingles for the roof. We created 4 roof pieces, two pieces for the front and two pieces for the back side of the house.
We chose a vibrant red in order to have a pop of color and it allowed us to work with a smaller color palette for the external house painting to look more cohesive with an abstract design.
Galaxies Galore
With practice and experimentation, we were able to achieve a realistic galaxy. We mixed together red, blue, black, and white paints. We also used various materials like a large dry brush and a shoe cleaning brush to help us render soft galaxies. To portray stars, we used a dry brush and mixed white paint with water and then flicked the brush to spray the white paint.
Abstract Design
While neither of us had much experience with abstract art, we gathered inspiration from magazines and posters that depicted figures in solid shapes. We particularly liked blockier lines as opposed to fluid lines. Similarly, we also enjoyed seeing new figures from from empty space. We later added sparks and words with similar blocky lines to create a cohesive house front.
Final House
We included questions (inside the blue bucket) to evoke vulnerability and break down barriers between students to build a more uplifting student community. We added fairy lights inside to mimic stars in the galaxy and help students feel at ease by immersing themselves in a new, sparkling environment.
