What? Inversion House

Drivers in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston TX had a surprise in store with the Inversion Tunnel House, a temporary artwork project which turned two homes scheduled for demolition into a warped work of art with a an apparent vortex through the property!

Art League artists, Havel and Ruck, converted the dwellings into an apparent whole house but with a twist – a vortex through the middle of the homes which gives the impression of a twister hitting the homes from the side.  Using existing wood and materials, they created the appearance of the side of the dwelling being sucked through to the other side, but there’s no danger of being whisked away as if you’re small enough, you can crawl through the vortex to the other side of the property. Even for “larger” viewers, the artwork presented a cool visual image.

The outside of the homes, which had been used to exhibit art for the last 30 years, were peeled away and replaced in a contracting spiral which progressed through the outer shell of the buildings clear through to the other side.  The effect was a truly mind bending piece of art which while looking visually stunning,  also allowed the observer to get inside the building in a very different way compared to simply walking through a door.

In this instance, art is merely fleeting as the property and artwork were demolished in 2005 to make way for the new Art League building which now occupies the plot.  Nevertheless, we still have the photographs of a unique piece of art.

photo by Nick Douglas