Our House

This piece was created for the Arts Whistler show 'Four Futures – The Whistler Sessions through Artists Eyes'.

I focused on the theme of affordable housing achieved through repurposing building materials. The lyrics on the piece, and the title are borrowed from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song ‘Our House’. The imagery described in the song inspired me to include a chimney on the house with billowing smoke and glowing windows, referencing a cozy fire inside.

I initially thought I would dream up my own repurposed home plan, and was exploring local materials that could be used, but I quickly realized that this problem has already been solved. So this design is based on a house that actually exists. The tree, sun and tire swing are simple symbols added to evoke a feeling of warmth & uncomplicated comfort. Really, isn’t this all we need? Shelter, warmth, affordability and togetherness. 

This creative process made me realize that in order to achieve affordable housing that is environmentally responsible we will need to adopt:

A willingness to let go of things being ‘perfect’.

A willingness to disregard trends.

A willingness to use locally used & discarded materials.

A willingness to ‘do it differently'.

A willingness to check our egos at the door.

And a willingness to not be sure of the outcome, but believe it is possible to achieve something new & good with a healthy mix of ingenuity, collaboration, and good old fashioned work.