Rachel Whiteread ｜ House: Turning the Interior of a House into a Solid Form

A terraced house about to be demolished, its interior filled with concrete. After hardening, the exterior walls, roof, and doors/windows are all removed, leaving behind the solidified 'air inside the house'. What were originally recessed windows become protruding blocks, what were rooms become solid, the space beneath the stairs becomes a diagonally cut volume, and the fireplace leaves a rectangular indentation. The surface retains the original plaster texture of the walls, traces of wallpaper, and grooves for electrical wires. The artwork stands isolated on a cleared plot of land, surrounded by a community also on the verge of disappearing. The artwork existed for only a few months before being demolished. Shot on an overcast day, the gray of the volume is close to the gray of the sky. Avoid: retaining any original walls or roof, smooth and unmarked surface, intact surrounding environment, making the artwork permanent.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一棟即將被拆除的連棟住宅,內部被灌滿混凝土,待硬化後把外牆、屋頂與門窗全部拆掉,留下的是「房子裡的空氣」被凝固成的實體。原本凹進去的窗變成凸出的塊,原本是房間的地方變成實心,樓梯的下方成為一道斜切的量體,壁爐留下矩形的凹痕。表面保留原本牆面的抹灰紋理、壁紙的痕跡與電線的溝槽。作品孤立在一片被清空的空地上,周圍是同樣即將消失的社區。作品只存在數個月即被拆除。陰天拍攝,量體的灰與天空的灰接近。避免:保留任何原有的牆與屋頂、表面平滑無痕跡、周圍環境完好、作品做成永久。