A pound of flesh for 50p

November 15, 2014 1:24 PM

Artist Alex Chinneck has constructed a full-sized wax building which is slowly being melted from the top down. For the last twelve months the artist has collaborated with chemists, wax manufacturers and engineers to develop visually convincing wax bricks that transform in the most sculpturally effective way. The installation is part of the 2014 Merge Festival.
posted by showbiz_liz (18 comments total)

Eeg. Something about that video is just creeping me out. Houses aren't supposed to DO that. Iow, very effective piece.
posted by Mogur at 1:49 PM on November 15, 2014

What, no time lapse of it melting? It was ripe for that.
posted by e40 at 1:52 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

This would somehow more satisfying if it melted naturally over a summer rather than having guys with blowtorches, or whatever a "handheld heating apparatus commonly used in roofing applications" is melt it.
posted by pseudonick at 1:52 PM on November 15, 2014 [3 favorites]

That is so beautiful!

I confess I was a little disappointed when I read they were melting it deliberately, too, but the control freak in me totally gets it.
posted by looli at 1:56 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Neat! I was considering making a post about these wood sculptures that appear to be melting, but perhaps I'll just link to them here.
posted by gwint at 1:58 PM on November 15, 2014 [7 favorites]

People who live in wax houses shouldn't use blowtorches.
posted by stbalbach at 1:59 PM on November 15, 2014 [2 favorites]

I wondered how it was shrinking in a perfectly level, symmetrical way, such that the second story vanished but still had the front door intact, I guess that's what the controlled melting is about
posted by anazgnos at 2:02 PM on November 15, 2014

A similarly-designed building made of normal materials would probably suffer a similar fate. Eaves were invented for a reason.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:05 PM on November 15, 2014

This is actually a pretty typical result for a new build in England these days.
posted by srboisvert at 2:09 PM on November 15, 2014

I feel like this is really inconsiderate to people having awful drug experiences around that house.
posted by passerby at 3:00 PM on November 15, 2014 [6 favorites]

Anyone else have that reoccurring nightmare where the world turns to soft wax? Just me? Okay

*screams inside forever*
posted by The Whelk at 3:45 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

They could have just put a large wick in the chimney.
posted by arcticseal at 7:36 PM on November 15, 2014

They could have just put a large wick in the chimney.

You'd think so but common sense doesn't seem to be our "president"'s strong suit.
posted by passerby at 8:16 PM on November 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

gwint: "Neat! I was considering making a post about these wood sculptures that appear to be melting, but perhaps I'll just link to them here."

Wow, that's very cool, it's like the natural end point of the whole art nouveau/jugend/modernisme style, taken to extremes, and with techniques and tools that weren't available back then.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 11:38 PM on November 15, 2014

I wonder if they're going to clean up by covering it with a massive piece of absorbent paper and a huge iron set on "warm".
posted by Solomon at 2:04 AM on November 16, 2014 [3 favorites]

Something was looking wrong about that house. Something other than the fact that it was melting, I mean. Sys Rq identified it: no eaves. It doesn't look like a real house because on a real house the roof doesn't come straight up from the tops of the walls, instead it sits on top of the walls like a hat, and hangs over a bit. Weird design choice by the artist, but then maybe it just wasn't possible to make wax eaves.

Either way, it falls into the uncanny valley of houses even before the melting.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 9:30 PM on November 16, 2014

Also, I imagine it must be really tempting for the people on the blowtorch crew to just keep going. Having occasionally played with a candle and a pen torch, I can tell you there is no way I would be stopping until the whole house was reduced to a puddle of goo.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 9:31 PM on November 16, 2014

Also, I imagine it must be really tempting for the people on the blowtorch crew to just keep going.

There's no blowtorch crew- the roof has a heater in it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:24 AM on November 17, 2014