Scrap House: Katrina Memorial
New Orleans, Louisiana
The "Scrap House" memorial to Hurricane Katrina was built by New Orleans artist Sally Heller, and unveiled on August 29, 2009, the fourth anniversary of the storm. It stands across the street from the city's Convention Center, where many refugees lived after their homes were destroyed.
The battered shack in the limbs of the tree has its porch light knocked askew. Mardi Gras beads hang from its eaves and gutters, apparently heaved there by visitors. From certain angles the little house appears to have been hoisted skyward by a tree monster, whose bark is made of metal scraps from salvaged 55 gallon oil drums.
Heller said she was inspired to create Scrap House by seeing boats in trees and houses on top of cars in the aftermath of the storm.