Simon Starling - A Houseboat for Ho

This artist book looks at Simon Starling's "Houseboat for Ho", built in 2023, both art and construction project and the result of cross-cultural collaboration between Bolivian and Danish reed builders. Houseboat for Ho has been developed specially for the low-lying village of Ho, in an area that is directly threatened by climate change-induced sea level rise. Part locally inspired vernacular rural dwelling, part exotic boat, Houseboat for Ho is a hybrid structure built using two related but geographically remote ancient technologies - reed boat building and thatching. Torn between the land and the sea, this prophetic, Ark-like vessel, is the result of a cross-cultural collaboration - an exchange of techniques and histories between Danish thatched roof builders and Bolivian reed boat builders. Text: Dan Richards, Simon Starling.