The title of the world’s narrowest house might not be one many aspire to get yet Austrian artist Erwin Wurm has obtained it nonetheless with his art installation, fittingly called ‘Narrow House’. Located in the French town of Le Havre, the house is meant to mimic the artist’s parents house, including pictures of his childhood and custom made furniture.
When “Narrow House” arrived in Le Havre in 2019, the art installation was supposed to be temporary. However, thanks to its success, it has now gained a permanent spot on the city’s Square Claude-Erignac.
“It was my parents’ house. I recreated it in a narrow, crushed down version. To reflect narrow society, the claustrophobia of our suburbs and our minds. Again, I use humour and the absurd to make people think about the world we live in. I’m concerned about our future. Politically, I find the air unbreathable. Ecologically, it’s scary. On the other hand, I don’t want to go directly into the political arena. My role is to create images, thoughts”, Wurm explained.
When going into the “Narrow House”, one can’t be but struck by the installation. Even though all the furniture was made-to-order and adapted to the width of the house, inside, the “uninhabitability” of the house and the unrealistic proportions of it all are what it’s all about. Measuring 18 meters lengthwise and 1.3 meters in width, Wurm’s work is meant as a reflection of the relationship between living spaces, individual freedom and the narrow-mindedness of our current society.
The project was inspired by the work of the famous architect Le Corbusier. More precisely by Cabanon, a wooden cabin spanning 14 square metres, built as a birthday gift by the architect for his wife Yvonne. In that cabin, all essentials were centred around practicality and proportions were built around the height of a man. Wurm, however, decided to throw all those proportions aside in favour of an experience that throws off anyone entering the room.
Even though the house can be seen from the outside, there aren’t any interior visits available at the moment.
