Sculpture

Build Your Own House

Make a house that reflects who you are

2 hours

The idea

Kids wearing their house creations — © Tate

You are going make a house that reflects the sort of person you are. The style of your house and its patterns, textures and colours will show your personality and things that are important to you.

The plan

Michael Landy, Semi-Detached 2004 Installation at Tate Britain Photo © Tate — Michael Landy *Semi-detached* installation at Tate Britain 2004, Photo © Tate

Artist Michael Landy's sculpture Semi-detached 2004 is a copy of the house where his dad lives. He copied it in every detail, right down to the bits of flaking paint. This work of art is a bit like a portrait: a portrait of his Dad as a house!

Inpsired by Michael Landy's house, the house you build will be a self-portrait of you.

Cardboard boxes
Wallpaper, corrugated card, paint, crayons etc
Material for curtains or blinds
Any objects which you may want people to see through the windows
Scissors, glue, sticky tape, stapler etc
Strong tape to make shoulder straps so you can wear your house!
An active imagination. (This is essential)

Crawl inside your box to make sure it is the right size for you if you want to wear it.
Think about, or roughly design, the house you want to make. Think about the number of windows it will have, the type of bricks, roof and windows.
Create different textures for different parts of the house. You could use collage, corrugated card or textured paper.
Add trees or flowers to the front of your house. Draw people or pets or furniture which can be seen through the windows. Give your house a number or a name.
If you want to wear your house, cut out strips of card or strong tape to make shoulder straps. Then staple or stick them onto two of the raised areas of the roof.