Hieroglyphic House

Public Art

/ 2019, 2020
Hieroglyphic House, rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery in vibrant colors. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts colorful shadows on the ground.

Hieroglyphic House
2019, 2020
Painted steel, tinted polycarbonate

Competition finalist proposal for permanent installation at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center pedestrian plaza (2020)


Hieroglyphic House, rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery in vibrant colors. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts colorful shadows on the ground.

Hieroglyphic House is a dreamlike structure pierced with rough-hewn pictograms and oblique symbols. The sculpture’s deconstructed, house-like form evokes the quintessential shotgun houses of New Orleans, scaled to an intimate size. Its surfaces are filigreed with images drawn from residents’ memories of the city. From an evocative alphabet of familiar and arcane shapes, viewers can find their own language and sequence new meanings.

The shifted walls, unexpected openings, and figurative cut-out shapes of Hieroglyphic House create an open/closed, outside/inside space that is at once welcoming, playful, and mysterious. Small doorways and openings create additional opportunities for light and shadow play and interaction. The sculpture’s home-like context creates an inviting and fantastical space where people are free to explore, relax, play, or just pass through. Hieroglyphic House is meant to be tactile and immersive, and a magical space for younger visitors. The appearance of the sculpture and its shadows change with the angle of the sun, throughout the day and across seasons.

Hieroglyphic House, rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery in vibrant colors. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts colorful shadows on the ground.
Hieroglyphic House, night rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery in vibrant colors. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts colorful shadows on the ground.
After dark, integrated interior lighting turns Hieroglyphic House into an ornate, glowing lantern. (Proposed for the New Orleans version of the sculpture)

Earlier iterations of this proposal were developed in 2019 with a team that included Nolen Strals, Kacie Moon, Christian Mortlock, and the Neighborhood Design Center.

Hieroglyphic House, rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery in vibrant colors. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts colorful shadows on the ground.
Prismatic, shaped windows punctuate the sculpture’s walls with color and detail.
Hieroglyphic House, rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts shadows on the ground.
Hieroglyphic House, rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts shadows on the ground.
Hieroglyphic House, rendering of a proposed public art installation of a deep blue house-like structure with walls and roofs punctured by windows of shaped iconographic imagery. Sunlight streaming through these openings casts shadows on the ground.

Project team: Bruce Willen, Nolen Strals, Christian Mortlock

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