Carrie Reichardt
July 2024
Image: Carrie Reichardt’s house in Chiswick; photograph Lucinda MacPherson
Public art and activism
Carrie Reichardt’s vibrant mosaic-covered home stands as a testament to her unique blend of art and activism. Nestled in the quiet suburb of Bedford Park, the house is an explosion of colour, wit, and subversive slogans, transforming an ordinary street into an extraordinary spectacle.
The house is completely covered, back and front, with mosaic work that has taken her decades to produce.
“I must have been the neighbour from hell. In fact, one guy over the road said “I’ll pay you just to finish that house and get the scaffolding down.””
Carrie’s artistic journey has evolved from personal expressions about womanhood to broader themes of social justice and historical celebration, particularly highlighting women’s contributions in public art.
Her community projects, such as the South Acton Tree of Life, reflect her commitment to embedding local stories into permanent public art. Her home, dubbed “The Treatment Room” after a sign from an old mental hospital, represents her belief in art as therapy.
Initially trained in sculpture and stained glass, she turned to mosaics after the birth of her child, finding solace in the meditative, repetitive process. This craft not only soothed her “frantic mind” but also allowed her to communicate her ideas in a tangible, appreciated form.
Images: Carrie Reichardt; mosaics; photographs by Lucinda MacPherson
Awards and exhibitions
The house, originally owned by her father and rented out as bedsits, bears remnants of its multi-occupancy past. Carrie, along with her then-partner, began decorating its exterior with scaffolding borrowed from friends. However, personal struggles, including her mother’s death and her own battle with clinical depression, halted progress for years, leaving the scaffolding up and the house unfinished.
The project finally progressed in 2017 when South American mosaic artist Isidora Paz Lopez and 30 other artists joined Carrie in “The Big Push” to complete it.
Carrie’s more recent projects include a significant public artwork in Finsbury, a book, and two exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery. Her home is a treasure trove of eclectic and anarchic art pieces, from customised ceramics to vintage dolls and transformed everyday objects. She delights in repurposing old china, creating three-dimensional mosaics that play with cultural symbols and challenge traditional norms.
In 2023, her work Mad in Stoke, a 1969 Ford Zodiac covered in mosaic tiles, was chosen for the British Ceramics Biennial Award. This piece, inspired by Stoke-on-Trent’s nightlife history, exemplifies Carrie’s ability to blend historical homage with radical artistic expression.
READ ALSO: Profile of Carrie Reichardt by Lucinda MacPherson, 2019
This page was updated by Ciara Fitzgerald in July 2024 from the original by Lucinda MacPherson.
