Konbit Shelter by Swoon, multiple artists

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The Konbit Shelter is not so much a public art project, but it is a unique architectural structure for our area and it's being built by the local artist collective known as Transformazium (which happens to be located across the street).

This project is an example of the shelters that artists, builders, architects and engineers are developing for areas that need inexpensive, safe structures that can stand up to many natural disasters. Specifically, this type of shelter is being used to provide help to rural areas of Haiti.

The buildings are constructed of long tubes filled with dirt (or with dirt and other stabilizers) and stacked to form a domed–shaped structure. You can read more about the construction here and more about this specific shelter and the problems Transformazium is having in the construction process here.

Update
Nov 2014

The shelter is still under construction. This is one of many projects that these artists are working on, so progress sometimes seems slow. The main structure has now been painted.

Transformazium artwork along Hawkins Ave

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In better days, this was a church. The old building is slowly being saved by a group of artists who have turned it into a combination art studio and living space. Many of the windows are still boarded up, but the resident artists have used some of their talents to make the building look less abandoned.

The Transformazium came about when Braddock’s mayor encouraged the artist Swoon to settle here. He believes in art as a way to help reinvent the town, and does a lot to promote it.

We found artwork on three sides of this corner building. These are the wheatpaste figures by Swoon that fill a doorway along Hawkins Ave:

The artwork on the building is changing as renovations move forward. This page will be updated with artwork on this side of the building as we discover it.

Transformazium Murals along Jones Ave by Swoon

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The artists at the Transformazium have been slowly working their way through this old church making many long overdue repairs and renovations.  There is art on three sides of the building, so there are currently three entries here to represent them.  This page includes the art on the side of the building that faces Jones Ave.

As renovations progress, the artwork on the building is changing. When we first discovered the Transformazium, we found this image on another door on this side of the building:

This was a wheat paste image, which is now gone.  "Wheat paste" is used to describe the method of pasting a piece of artwork up (as opposed to painting it on the wall).  The term is used whether the art is adhered using a flour and water mixture, wallpaper paste, or other type of adhesive.  It has a much shorter life than murals that have been painted, yet it can last a surprisingly long time.

In November of 2014 we found a new mural and a renovated door at the north end of this wall:

How wonderful to see the progress on this landmark. Swoon and the Transformazium members are doing more than just restoring the building. They are working towards establishing a ceramic tile studio here where they will train and employ local residents creating the tiles needed to replace the roof. This is Swoon's Braddock Tiles project, and she hopes that after the roof is replaced that the tile studio will continue to employ locals with other projects.

Transformazium West Wall artwork

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Thallasa by Swoon

The Transformazium is an old church that has been converted into a living space and art studio. Swoon (AKA Caledonia Dance Curry) has been working on the renovations here along with several other artists. This wheat paste artwork once embellished this side of the old church. She’s called Thalassa.

The sea taking the shape of a woman. That’s a general description of Thalassa, a goddess of Greek mythology. The artist Swoon created this image originally for the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2011. It was designed specifically for that location and a two dimensional version was hung in a huge, two story hall.

From a video of Swoon explaining the piece, she said that she had wanted to take the idea of a Sea Deity to sort of define our relationship with nature and think about how we relate to the sea. The Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Miranda Lash, said in that same video that it was supposed to be a celebratory piece about the sea; ecological systems surrounding it; New Orleans’ relationship with the sea and then went on to say how much the city relied on the sea for food, commerce, oil, etc.

Although not as elaborately displayed and embellished as the installation in the museum, Braddock’s copy of Thalassa was still quite impressive. She may or may not have been a commentary on Braddock’s (and Pittsburgh’s) relationship with our rivers. She was, however, definitely majestic and commanded your attention.

By the time we rode by in May of 2014 Thallasa had deteriorated and was vandalized to the point that we considered it gone.  Building renovations are still going on and we're holding out hope that once they've finished with this side of the structure that perhaps a new copy will be installed.


On 3 Apr 2013, the Carnegie Museum of Art announced that the Transformazium was one of the 35 individuals or groups included in the The 2013 Carnegie International art show. The list of participants was included in the Post–Gazette article, where Mary Thomas provided this information on the Transformazium:

A collective of five people (Ruthie Stringer, Dana Bishop–Root, Erin Harrell, Leslie Stem and Caledonia Curry) with backgrounds in the arts and arts management. Most moved from Brooklyn to Braddock and North Braddock. Individually we are artists, designers, farmers, interactivists, communication theorists, neighbors. Together we are an arts-based community organization. Current projects include deconstructing an abandoned church with the dual purpose of recycling materials and perhaps supplementing income.

Congratulations to the artists of the Transformazium!