Kevin Currys NIMBY is as much a sculpture as it is a shelter. The small cabin was originally created for Glasstires Made from IKE show, for which participants crafted works of art from hurricane detritus. He used discarded fence posts for walls and floors, and pieces of acrylic signs for roof shingles, to create the cabin.
Curry said finding the materials was easy, as long as he stayed ahead of Houstons cleanup efforts. I was like in a race to beat the city, he says. Curry got the wood out of trash piles in front of homes, and the broken signs were well, everywhere. If I needed more supplies, it was perfect, he says. There were so many signs, you couldnt drive around without hitting one.
The roof glows at night thanks to lights attached to the signs, making for quite a nice nook to chill out in seriously. The floors are the same dimensions of a single bed. Two adults can sit in it face to face it becomes like a cocoon, Curry says, adding that grownups and kids alike are encouraged to come and go as they please. There have been friends of mine that have had dinner in there, he says. NIMBY is on view every day and night. Through January 10. Lawndale Art Centers Mary E. Bawden Sculpture Garden, 4912 Main. For information, call 713-528-5858 or visit www.lawndaleartcenter.org. Free.
Nov. 21-Jan. 10, 2008
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2008.