The Heidelberg Project is the creation of internationally acclaimed artist Tyree Guyton, and has been a labor of love for him since 1986. Encompassing three city blocks, the massive art work utilizes the abandoned homes and the detritus of years of discarded goods to create an intriguing vision of life in Detroit. Recently the site has been targeted by an arsonist. There have been?eight fires in seven months which have reduced four of the buildings to little more than ash. We visited before most of the fires. This article is about our visit and my perceptions of the art that is Heidelberg.
As we entered the project on Heidelberg Street, we were welcomed by a volunteer at the Number House, 3632 Heidelberg St., which served as a headquarters/on-site office/gift shop. Outside the house, the fence was covered with sun-faded and well-worn shoes and boots of every type and size. On the porch we were greeted with the relaxed sight of a very comfortable sleeping cat, completely at home with the wide array of visitors crossing the porch to enter the building.
At first glance, all that is seen appears to be trash ? discarded remnants of years past. Old bedraggled stuffed animals adorn almost everything on the block. They are attached to fences, strung up along the tree trunks, placed in the rotting hulks of old vehicles. They are piled here and there. Shoes are everywhere ? on fences, in piles, scattered randomly in some places and delicately placed with purpose in others.
A moment of reflection reveals a totally different sight. The shoes, once worn on the feet of the many citizens of a city currently in peril, depict years of toil. These shoes have walked miles to provide sustenance. These shoes have fed and clothed our families. These shoes have helped countless children do homework. These shoes have loved.
As we walked along the sidewalk, abstract painted faces stared up at us from the sidewalk blocks. Each disembodied face is different, with its own smile or blank expression. They are creepy, painted in different colors and their expressions are never-changing.
As we continued down the street, walking across the faces, the realization that these odd faces represent the residents of Detroit sinks in. The faces then seemed to change as we contemplated them with a new eye. They grew brighter. The sun faded paint of a quarter century seemed to become more vibrant. The faces seemed to jump up and yell with an exuberance they lacked before.
They have been stepped on, battered and abused, but yet they continue to smile up at the world. These random symbols of generations past and present bravely face each day with an upward glance to an ever-changing sky. They fade in the sunlight, but they do not disappear.
They. Just. Keep. Staring.
The faces represent the resilience of Detroit’s residents ? to continue to approach each day with a smile and a bright eye, searching for a future free of oppression. These are the faces of people, like a mirror, reflecting the beauty and hope that is within us, and especially within the hearts of Detroit residents.
During our visit, the Obstruction of Justice house had already been burnt on the back half, but the front was mostly intact. The burnt section contained dolls and other items displayed as if to say, ?We will go on.? The house had been badly damaged, but it was still art.
Behind the house stood a garden of vacuum cleaners, lined up in neat rows, ready to sweep through the neighborhood to clean things up. My daughter was upset by some of the displays, thinking them grotesque. After I explained to her about some of the history associated with the entire Heidelberg Project and what meaning I derived out of the displays she became enthralled.
We also had a chance to visit the House of Soul, which has now been burnt to the ground. As we approached the house, the most striking thing was the record albums attached to all sides of the house. As a representation of the ?soul? that is Detroit, the records spoke volumes about the rich musical history that resides here. We are Motown. We have nurtured music on every level and in every genre. Detroit is music and music is Detroit. Was the House of Soul nothing but a dilapidated house with old, warped and scratched vinyl records or was it a testament to a once great city and her soul that still sings?
Regrets that we missed a few houses.
We missed the Penny House and the War House, which are now gone forever, but the overall experience was a positive one for both of us. With news of each new fire, a fresh batch of tears well in my daughter’s eyes. She weeps for the loss of so much of our history and our culture. She weeps for Guyton, because ?he has the soul of the city in his heart.? She weeps because we visited on a day when Guyton was not on site and we didn’t get to meet him.
Guyton is a visionary. He is a fighter. He is an artist. I have no doubt that he will once again make art from the ashes. We will return to the Heidelberg Project again next summer. We both look forward to witnessing the undying spirit of a man, expressing his enthusiasm for life and the city that he loves through his art. We want to meet this man and tell him how much his art has impacted and inspired?us.
The Heidelberg Project has an IndieGoGo fundraiser in progress to raise money for the increased security and costs associated with cleaning up after the fires. So far they have raised $33,838 toward the $50,000 goal.
See this video for more information:
Edited/Published by: SB
