“The Disappearing House” was created for the 2nd Wuhan East Lake International Ecological Sculpture Biennale in 2021. The exhibition took place at Shimenfeng Memorial Park in Wuhan, a serene cemetery known for its beautiful environment and peaceful atmosphere. This park is a resting place for the deceased, filled with a sense of longing, remembrance, and memorial. The artwork’s concept was designed to resonate with this unique setting.
The artwork symbolizes the unrestrained growth of ivy wrapping around a house, which stands as a metaphor for home and homeland. When the “house” is removed, the ivy’s embrace becomes a memory of a vanished living space. This memory evokes a reflection and tribute to past lives and events. “The Disappearing House” creates an interactive commemorative space that invites participation and experience.
When deciding to create a disappearing house in response to the site, the main question was what type of house should be used as the subject. Initially, the intention was to select a house with local Wuhan characteristics to reflect regional identity. However, research showed that Wuhan’s old buildings, especially residential ones, lack distinct regional traits. Other notable public buildings in Wuhan did not suit the environment either. Therefore, the final choice was a simple house shape, devoid of regionalism or excessive symbolism. The design resembles a child’s drawing of a house, offering an intuitive, pure, and straightforward image. Its richness comes from the free-growing ivy texture that envelops it.
After settling on the spatial concept, the challenge was to convey the sense of the house disappearing through the ivy’s growth. To explore this, a 1:10 scale model of the house was made from cardboard. This allowed direct hand-drawing of the ivy onto the model, enabling precise control over ivy density, vine thickness, and how the ivy twists and connects on the walls. This hand-drawing process was the most heartfelt and passionate part of the creation, giving the work a distinctive handmade and painterly quality.
△ Model diagram © Field Creation Studio
△ Model diagram © Field Creation Studio
△ Model diagram © Field Creation Studio
Once the ivy was drawn on the model, the next meticulous task was converting the design into vector files. The final artwork was produced using laser engraving on weathering steel. To achieve this, the house model was disassembled and high-definition scanned. Manually converting these scans into laser-engraveable vector files was labor-intensive and time-consuming. Each line had to be carefully redrawn, especially ensuring proper connections at spatial turning points. This process required great attention to detail and multiple revisions before production.
△ Model diagram © Field Creation Studio
The material chosen for the sculpture is weather-resistant steel, cut using laser technology. This choice was made for two key reasons. First, the dark red rusted color of weathered steel effectively mimics the texture of ivy vines. Second, the installation is a space visitors can enter, and the ivy-formed walls need structural strength to stand without additional supports. The 2cm thick steel plates provide sufficient self-supporting strength. Over time, exposure to sunlight and rain will darken the steel’s color, enhancing the artwork’s intended expression.
△ Front view © Field Creation Studio
△ Right elevation view © Field Creation Studio
Project Information
Title: “The Disappearing House”
Creation Agency: Field Creation Studio
Studio Website: www.fcstudio.art
Contact Email: changyuyingzao@sina.com
Year of Completion: 2021
Author: Hu Quanchun
Creative Execution Team: Xiang Yu, Chen Songlin
Dimensions: 9.8 meters (length) × 5.1 meters (width) × 4.8 meters (height)
Material: 2cm thick weather-resistant steel plate
Exhibition Curator: Sun Zhenhua
Academic Hosts: Lu Hong, Ji Shaofeng
Art Director: Fu Zhongwang
Organizers: Zhimei Space, Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan He Art Museum
Supporting Units: School of Public Art (Wuhan Institute of Design and Engineering), Wuhan Creative Industry Development Co., Ltd.
Production Institutions: Wuhan Shimenfeng Memorial Park Co., Ltd., Wuhan Tianyu Hengxin Investment Management Co., Ltd.
Project Photography: Jin Weiqi
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