You’ve probably heard the term “cookie cutter” to describe rows of homes that are seemingly indistinguishable from one another except for details like the color or which side the garage is on. For artist from Brooklyn Hayden Williamsthe comforting yet slightly eerie predictability of these vast environments is fodder for Suburbs, a series of illustrations that tap into America’s obsessions with privacy and perfect lawns.
“There are a lot of things that interest me about the suburbs,” Williams tells Colossal. “I enjoy the quiet, eerie beauty that, because of its cookie-cutter nature, is also extremely recognizable and nostalgic for many people.”
Williams uses Houdini, a 3D rendering tool, to create his sweet digital landscapes. Through visual puns and mysterious lightning effects, he emphasizes recognizable elements of neighborhood life, such as in ‘Nosy Neighbors’, in which a house curves upward and floats above the adjacent building as if it were paying far too close attention.
The artist also plays with notions of presence and absence, as the streets and sidewalks are completely devoid of people, pets or even cars, giving the houses a personality.
In “Best Friends,” for example, a single walkway connects the front doors of two houses, which stand alone in an expansive, shared lawn. And in ‘Cul de sac’, a recognizable feature of many planned developments sinks into the ground to create a spiral, subterranean existence with no visible end.
“I think there are a lot of interesting stories to be told about the suburbs,” Williams says. “They are an umbrella where many different, strange things happen. The series tells some of these stories – sad, weird, humorous – and explores themes of growing up in the suburbs and leaving it behind.”
Find more information about the artist website And Instagram.
