Thaindian News

Detroit, Feb 3 (THAINDIAN NEWS) An abandoned home in Detroit is completely encased in ice. It is covered up in sheets of ice, that sparkle in the sunlight, and the sharp-edged icicles almost reach the ground, from the edge of the roof. This rundown neighborhood is part of the Ice House Detroit project. The people behind the project want to draw the attention of the government to the nation’s housing woes, and they also want to tell the people that there are plenty of vacant homes in the city, as the foreclosure is very frequent in that area.

“This gives them an opportunity to see something different in their neighborhood,” said Gregory Holm, a New York-based photographer who was raised in Detroit. “It’s not saying it’s going to change afterward. But it’s a gift.” The architects behind this pretty sculpture are Holm and Matthew Radune, who are Brooklyn based architects. They have spent weeks in the bitter cold, just spraying water onto the house, so that the ice formation takes place in the cold. They picked this particular house, because it is due to be demolished. It is going to be demolished in the spring, so that the building materials can be re-used.

“It’s amazing,” said Jeff Taylor, 43, of Detroit, who was driving near the house. “I had to stop and see what happened.” He added: “It’s beautiful.”