Above are images I took during a visit to The Heidelberg Project in Detroit. The entire work was established by Tyree Guyton in 1986 because it was the street he had grown up on and he came back to find it not only in ruins after fires, but also riddled with drug use and crime. Wanting to transform the space, he gathered the children of the neighbourhood and ever since it has remained a globally known art space, the the remnants of the fire and destruction forming the basis that the work sits on. The pieces are compiled of piles of toys and items which have long since been forgotten by their owners. Yet the space remains active because of the transformation of these objects, becoming a commentary upon themselves. Mass production, industrial failure, and poverty all playing a part in the way the art came about. It also makes art more accessible to those who would never go visit areas of high art due to racial divides within the city. As my project focuses on reproduction and recreation, this transformative art space fits heavily within this space, looking at transforming a space forgotten into something globally appreciated.
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