The Home That Was

Led by artist Ben Volta, a team of intergenerational artists created 12 large wallpaper patterned panels that are affixed to the exposed interior wall of a neighboring row home that no longer exists. The patterns were printed in ink on Tyvek (TM) insulating fabric.

While it has had a mixed reputation as a form of interior decoration, wallpaper has sometimes been a powerful focus for our remembrances, both negative and positive. Patterns on these panels maintain the shadowy outlines of walls, ceilings and stairs that previously contained objects, activities, sounds and smells that define the daily routines of a home. A wallpaper for each space allows the careful observer a guided tour of the function and contents of the room that was merged into each pattern.

On the ground floor at lower left, the light yellow, green and blue pattern shows the televisions, sofas and lamps of what once was a living room. The playful arrangement of bathroom fixtures and toilet roll on the space in the right-hand side of the middle floor reveals its purpose. Everything can be found in the attic, while the toys are ready for action in the huge turquoise playroom on the third floor, upper left. Nothing is left out, as we imagine the portraits of the home’s occupants and their family contained within the frames incorporated into the rococo wallpaper repeating up the stairs.

Location Note: Mural is no longer on view at this location. The building was demolished sometime in 2012 or 2013.