This Winter, photographer Gregory Holm and architect Matthew Radune plan to freeze one of the thousands of abandoned homes in Detroit to draw attention to the city's foreclosure crisis. The house will be sprayed with water and gradually covered in ice, and Holm will photograph its transformation for the project, called Ice House Detroit. The property that's chosen will be one that is already due for demolition, because it is fire damaged or dangerous to the public. After the freezing, the duo will work with Architectural Salvage Warehouse Detroit to salvage what they can from the house to be recycled. It will then be demolished, and they hope to donate the lot to a group like Greening of Detroit or Earthworks Urban Farm to be used as a community garden or other public space.
I'm sure these four frozen walls and a roof will stand out against the landscape of thousands of other vacant homes throughout what was once Motor City. But it's not Detroit natives who need a reminder of the plight of the city, which is why it's nice to see that this project, not yet begun, is getting attention on a national stage. I'm intrigued to see Holm's photographs of the house in frozen form.
Fendi
Uh, that's great that they are going to salvage what they can to be recycled. I'm sure the water damaged goods will be greatly appreciated as will the cost of running the water over the length of time needed to achieve the artistic effect intended! Seriously, I'm sure someone creative enough to come up with this idea in the first place could have thought up something more constructive to voice a social/political/artistic message.
1I agree with anonymous. I think the fact that people immediately think of the water wasted detracts from the cause and the point of the art. I hope they're using "reclaimed" water or something. I've been scouring their blog and there's no indication of this.
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