ian strange wraps historical building in poland with 600 sq meters of gold wallpaper

ian strange wraps historical building in poland with 600 sq meters of gold wallpaper
all images © ian strange

in the załęże district of katowice, poland, australian artist ian strange has completed an urban-scale intervention in a residential neighborhood. the façade of an old house has been wrapped in 600 square-meters of golden, patterned wallpaper, continuing the artist’s ongoing exploration around the theme of ‘home’. titled ‘złoty’ (the polish world for ‘golden’), this site-specific installation directly responds to district’s history and decline following the collapse of its local mining industry.

commissioned by the instytucja kultury katowice, strange worked alongside curator michał kubieniec and the katowice historical museum on this latest architectural intervention. over a period of three weeks, strange and a team of volunteers carefully applied sheets of vibrant wallpaper to the exterior of the site, adopting a floral pattern most typically found canvassing the rooms of many local houses.

the artist’s latest architectural intervention is sited in the załęże district of katowice, poland

by recontextualizing a decorative element found inside the house as a public spectacle, strange leaves it vulnerable to the elements. the intervention places the home’s safe interior on the exterior, exposing it to natural deterioration and decay. this gradual degeneration forms an integral part of purpose of the work — just as załęże’s own circumstances slipped a from flourishing mining town with the closure of its last mine in 2004, so too will the installation lose its shining veneer over time.

the urban-scale intervention in placed in a residential neighborhood

strange has wrapped the façade of an old house in 600 square-meters of golden wallpaper

the installation is titled ‘złoty’, the polish world for ‘golden’

the site-specific installation responds to district’s decline following the collapse of its mining industry

strange worked alongside curator michał kubieniec and the katowice historical museum 

over a period of three weeks, strange and a team of volunteers carefully applied the sheets of vibrant wallpaper

the exterior of the site adopts a floral pattern most typically found canvassing the rooms of many local houses

strange recontextualizes a decorative element found inside the house as a public spectacle

the intervention places the home’s safe interior on the exterior, exposing it to natural deterioration and decay

the gradual degeneration of the wallpaper forms an integral part of purpose of the work
the installation is meant to lose its shining veneer over time

before and after