The Tilting House That Reacts To Its Inhabitants’ Movements

Two artists, Ward Shelley and Alex Schweder, found a very unique way of expressing the special relationship between art, architecture and landscape. They built a rotating house at the OMI Art Center in upstate New York. The installation is called ReActor, a name that perfectly captures the essence of its design.

The artists lived in this structure for five days. The experimental structure is a hybrid between a sculpture and a house. It consists of a 13.5 m long and 2.5 m wide timber volume balanced on top of a 4.6 m high concrete column.

The objective of this unusual experiment was to demonstrate the different possibilities for the use of wood
The objective of this unusual experiment was to demonstrate the different possibilities for the use of wood
This unusual structure has a symmetrical floor plan with a small balcony at each end. As one artist walked toward it, the structure started to tilt
As one artist walked toward the balcony the structure started to tilt
Symmetri is the key to balance in this case and the concept is quite philosophical
Symmetri is the key to balance in this case and the concept is quite philosophical

The entire structure could tilt and rotate around a central point. Its design was symmetrical and the structure tilted and moved in response to each artist’s movements as well as the exterior forces. This unusual experiment was designed to show the special relationship between a house’s architecture and its inhabitants. The experimental artist’s studio had a timber frame and was enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows. The interior was divided in half, with a shared bathroom at the center and symmetrical living quarters and balconies at each end.

the full height windows enclosing the structure didn't offer the artist's much privacy, exposing them to the world
the full height windows enclosing the structure didn’t offer the artist’s much privacy, exposing them to the world
This inhabitable sculpture is one of the most intriguing and unusual experiments which takes art to a new level
This inhabitable sculpture is one of the most intriguing and unusual experiments which takes art to a new level
The structure was part of an exhibition called "Wood: from structure to enclosure" which took place in 2016
The structure was part of an exhibition called “Wood: from structure to enclosure” which took place in 2016