UROS HOUSE

Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for UROS HOUSE

Location: The Armory Show | Times Square, NY, 2011
7 ft x 7 ft x 12 ft (2.13 m x 2.13 m x 3.66 m)
LEDs, diﬀusion material domes, silkscreen, aluminum, custom lighting sequence, electrical hardware.

UROS HOUSE is a 12-foot light sculpture installed at Duffy Square in the heart of Times Square during Armory Arts Week, its domed LED form embodying the ancient reed houses of Peru’s Uros Islands and the sea foam of Amorós’s Lima childhood in a work that brought pre-Incan architectural tradition to the center of New York City.

Presented by the Times Square Alliance and The Armory Show, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, UROS HOUSE was seen by more than 350,000 visitors during its run at Duffy Square between 46th and 47th Streets.

EFE/Telemundo (2011) covered the work as a landmark cultural moment, with Amorós becoming the only Latin American artist included in The Times Square Show 2011, bringing a tribute to Peru’s pre-Incan Uros people to one of the world’s most visited public spaces.

The work draws its form from the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, where the Uros people build everything from houses to boats to watchtowers from totora reeds, with the sculpture’s red and white LED sequence chosen by Amorós as a direct tribute to the colors of the Peruvian flag.

Arte al Día (2011) noted that the sculpture was presented alongside work by Tom Otterness, David Kennedy Cutler, and Niki de Saint Phalle, situating Amorós within the broader landscape of international public art during one of New York’s most significant art weeks.

Following its Times Square presentation, UROS HOUSE traveled to the Paul and Lulu Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, extending the work’s reach beyond New York and affirming its resonance across both public and institutional art contexts.

Growing up on the coast of Lima, Peru, Grimanesa Amorós developed a profound appreciation and love for the ocean, captivated by the vibrant colors, the mesmerizing bubbles, and the foam created by the crashing waves. This deep-rooted connection to bodies of water from her upbringing continues to influence her artistic vision.

Inspired by the Uros Islands oﬀ the coast of Puno, Peru, floating islets made of totora reeds native to the Lake’s water, Amorós found herself fascinated by these unique habitats and their essential role in the lives of their inhabitants—used for housing, boats, watch towers, and fish storage. This experience, in combination with her childhood wonder of the coastal bubbles, inspired the creation of UROS HOUSE, which was exhibited and mounted in the heart of New York City’s iconic Times Square; UROS HOUSE, a lighting sculpture, embodies the essence of sea foam with its intricate sequence, representing the eﬀervescence of bubbles while meticulously preserving the traditional technique and shape of the Uros island’s houses. The structure merges seamlessly with the earth, invoking a sense of unity with nature.

Description: The Armory Show, Times Square Alliance, and Nina Menocal Gallery present UROS HOUSE, a lighting sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, during the Armory Arts Week in New York City’s Times Square.

The exhibition of large-scale work by Amorós is possible with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Please click here to read more about the project.