Beili Liu artwork, The Little House

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The little house stands on the prairie, Adobe bricks (clay, sand, straw), wood, straw, newspaper, glass, hardware, 7'x14.5'x10.5'

The little house is a replica of the artist's parents' hand-made home during China's cultural revolution. The construction is based on the tradition of northern Chinese adobe dwelling. The interior of the house is pasted with American newspaper articles about China, following the rural Chinese dwelling’s tradition of using newspaper as wallpaper at the time. The structure will erode in weather and go back to earth in about 20-30 years, the typical life span of a building of its type in China.

For more information, please see my article in Ceramics Art and Perception.

Adobe bricks are stored on covered wood planks to control the drying process.

Adobe bricks being made by pressing the mixture of clay, sand, and straw into a four brick mold of metal lined wood frame. (left)

Completion of the "Mountain Wall. (right)

A traditional Chinese wood pole framework. Also installed is the window and doorframe.

Salvaged lath from old barns is used to sheath the little house to provide a base for applying the grass thatching roofing.

Native grasses are cut and bundled into approximately 2' square "Shingles" for thatching the roof. They are layered using a wet clay and lime mortar over the lath. This long strip is about to be raised for the ridge of the little house.

American newspaper articles on China are pasted onto interior walls of the little house. The horizontal platform is the adobe brick bed, (Kang) also covered with newspaper.

The little house in moon light.