Khan 1

Shahrin Khan
Andrew Cavin
HON 1000
8 November 2016
The Heidelberg Project
Stepping into the city of Detroit, one becomes aware of the juxtaposition of the dull,
abandoned projects, growing blight, and falling homes with the brighter colors of numerous
amounts of funky art. This is the effect that artist Tyree Guyton provides with his notorious
installation, The Heidelberg Project. He distracts the population from his neighborhoods poverty
problem, its violence, and drug abuse the despair of the Detroit East Side. What once was a
neighborhood of hard work and diversity, becomes a place plagued by these issues.1 Despite this,
he reminds people that these streets are not to be forgotten, so he uses his art to get the worlds
attention. He takes eye-catching pieces of junk and uses the sidewalks, the abandoned homes,
and even the trees to display them. It becomes an area drowning in the assemblage of found
objects and painted colors. People around the globe come to see this work. He changes the
direction in which the neighborhood was headed towards, but he finds endless amounts of
criticism for it. It becomes an eyesore for many. After thirty years of The Heidelberg Project,
Guyton realizes his own mortality and fears that once he dies, the project will just become a mere
memory.2 Thus, he begins his journey of slowly taking down the pieces. His dismantling of this
installation exhibits the risk of a failing legacy that results from a person being individualistic.

1 "History of the Heidelberg Project." The Heidelberg Project. Web. http://www.heidelberg.org/research_resources/history.html

2 Mark Stryker, "The End, and a New Beginning, for Detroit's Iconic Heidelberg Project," Detroit Free Press, 14 Aug. 2016,
Web.

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Where we are going is a destination of imagination and creative thought, and in order to keep
this alive one must incorporate the community into their own work.
Tyree Guytons installation is a manifestation of the idea of a designer person; this concept
brings the individualism in this situation. Rather than contributing to the terrible conditions of
the environment around him of drugs and violence, he chooses to free himself of that and build
something new, bright, and hopeful. The essence of the designer person is to create a new
identity, regardless of the situation of the past; it is to live in the present. By creating this one
man installation, he portrays to the world his own identity where he has the capability of leaving
the despair surrounding him in search of imagination. The structure of different parts of his work
embody this idea. An example would be the house covered in colorful polka dots, which
expresses a child-like imagery contributing to the imagination motif.3 The home itself does not
look well built, nor does it look welcoming nor appealing. However, adding the polka dots
illustrates the ability to manipulate ones own situation, and redesign themselves.
The designer individual is also characterized by withstanding the obstacles that they are faced
with, and the Heidelberg Project demonstrates that. Many parts of the project were set ablaze,
and all seemed intentionally set. There were twelve fires in total, destroying six of the houses.4
Additionally in 1991 and 1999, city officials oversaw the destruction of different houses.5 Many
people perceive the project badly. Guyton however, made sure this destination of artistry and
inspiration that the Heidelberg Project creates remains standing and alive despite these

3 Group Research Document

4 Louis Aguilar, "12 Heidelberg Fires, All a Mystery," Detroit News, The Detroit News, 20 Feb. 2015.
5 Mark Stryker, "The End, and a New Beginning, for Detroit's Iconic Heidelberg Project," Detroit Free Press, 14 Aug. 2016,
Web.

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unfortunate circumstances. He showcases a great level of vigor and tolerance for these hardships
which paints the perfect picture of a designer individual.
However, this legacy of creativity is threatened by his own mortality. Guyton becomes fearful
that his death would lead to the complete destruction of the Heidelberg Project. This results from
the idea that the citys own officials wanted it torn down. His individuality in creating this one
man installation allowed for the survival of a project for so long, but the question arises of what
will happen to it after his passing. Will its disappearance erase the optimism of art that this place
provides? These questions led Guyton to acknowledge that in order to continue the legacy, he has
to get rid of the one man concept that is associated with the installation. Thus, the idea of
Heidelberg 3.0 was born. He plans on dismantling the work shown here and replace it with a
cultural village driven by the surrounding community, instead of one man.6 This would still
promote the improving of livelihood through art that is encouraged by the current Heidelberg
Project.
Although the present may flourish from the concept of a designer person, the future is left
unconsidered. Mortality would eventually catch up and diminish the legacy created by an
individual, if steps are not taken to guard the future destination that answers Where are we
going? This destination that the Heidelberg Project provides is a democratic space of creativity
and optimism through art. Regardless of ones social, economic, or political background, art still
has the capability of changing lives. Artist Tyree Guyton places a great importance on this, and
so he makes sure that the future still has this destination by eliminating his one-man image.

6 Marti Benedetti, "Colorful Heidelberg Project Will Evolve into 'Cultural Village'" Crain's Detroit Business, Crain's Detroit
Business, 17 Aug. 2016, Web.

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Bibliography
Aguilar, Louis. "12 Heidelberg Fires, All a Mystery." Detroit News. The Detroit News, 20 Feb.
2015. Web.
Benedetti, Marti. "Colorful Heidelberg Project Will Evolve into 'Cultural Village'" Crain's
Detroit Business. Crain's Detroit Business, 17 Aug. 2016. Web.
"History of the Heidelberg Project." The Heidelberg Project. Web.
http://www.heidelberg.org/research_resources/history.html
Stryker, Mark. "The End, and a New Beginning, for Detroit's Iconic Heidelberg Project." Detroit
Free Press. Detroit Free Press, 14 Aug. 2016. Web.