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Meticulously Layered Installations Created Using Debris from Abandoned Buildings

Dutch artist Marjan Teeuwen creates incredible installations from the demolition found in abandoned houses. Using architectural debris from a building's rooms, she transforms the spaces into spectacular sculptural works by meticulously layering the collected fragments into aesthetically-pleasing arrangements. The series, titled Destroyed Houses, highlights Teeuwen's ability to turn destruction and neglect into something beautiful.

The artist doesn't choose to excavate her sites, but instead fills them with carefully stacked tiles, rocks, and even home goods like furniture and books. Teeuwen groups together similar colors and uses holes in the floors and ceilings to enhance her designs. She'll pair light-colored tiles with darkened wood for a bold, stunning effect. This Tetris-like placement creates order among chaos and gives the works a monumental, awe-inspiring presence coupled with a feeling of tranquility.

Marjan Teeuwen website
via [Inhabitat]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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