The weather might be getting cooler at this time of year, but that won’t stop one house in Bankside, London, from slowly melting into the ground over the coming month.
The “melting house” is the latest project by artist and designer Alex Chinneck – a life-sized two-storey Victorian home constructed from 8,000 wax bricks. The structure will be heated gradually over the course of 30 days, causing the building to warp and eventually collapse with just the roof and the floor left in a pile of dripping wax.
The installation, at 40 Southwark Street, whose official title is “A pound of flesh for 50p” forms part of the London Borough of Southwark’s annual MERGE Festival, which is this year themed “art and science” and runs from 26 September to 19 October 19.
The unusual construction was project managed by main contractor Laing O’Rourke, which also supplied bricklayers and plant to build the house for free and created six work experience positions, each of whom will be interviewed at the end of the project for a position with the business on nearby projects. In addition, the construction firm brought on board its local supply chain partners to provide scaffolding, timber and carpentry.
Now you see it…
Now you don’t… the wax bricks will be melted over a period of time
Laing O’Rourke is working on a number of projects in the borough, including Elephant Road and the new Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital.
The melting house explores the science of melting points and celebrates the history of an old candle-making factory that was based in Bankside a couple of centuries ago.
The bricks are cast in paraffin wax in beds of terracotta sand, designed to mimic the colour, coarse surface and irregularity of a real wall. For the last 12 months the artist has collaborated with chemists, wax manufacturers and engineers to develop visually convincing wax bricks that transform in the most sculpturally effective way.
The house will be melted manually using handheld heating equipment commonly used in roofing applications, which enables control over the artwork’s appearance, duration and changing shape. According to Chinneck, the method is a contemporary approach to the classic process of sculpting material to shape form. “With surrealism and spectacle the experience delivers an illusion of architectural scale that transforms each day,” he said.
Laing O’Rourke supplied bricklayers and plant to build the house for free
There are just a few weeks left to see Chinneck’s Minor on the Moon installation, also known as the Upside Down House, built on Blackfriars Road as part of last year’s MERGE (see CM’s story on it here.
The large-scale site-specific work saw the facade of a building due for demolition turned upside down with a design celebrating the history and life of the building. Main contractor Mace was responsible for risk assessment, scaffolding and licensing fees, and also sourced the materials free via a number of sponsors.
The artwork is due to be demolished at the end of this year’s festival to make way for a new high-rise development.
MERGE is an annual arts, music and performance festival that draws on the rich heritage and contemporary culture of London’s Bankside by staging exhibitions, performances, and events in disused office blocks, historic buildings, open spaces, and local businesses.
