The Cathedral of Junk in Austin, Texas
"Are you sure this is it?"
GPS guided us into a quiet neighborhood in the middle of Austin. It certainly didn't look like a likely location for a multi-story junk sculpture. The rain was pouring down, adding a sheen to everything, including the brightly colored house we had pulled up to. The front door had a forbidding sign on it "This home is a private residence"-making me hesitant to knock on it. Vince, the owner, poked his head around the fence surrounding the backyard and gestured for us to join him. As we walked through the doorway, the Cathedral of Junk made it's appearance behind the house.
Vince seemed surprised that we still showed up- and greeted us with "well, the Cathedral has never been hit by lightning, so you should be ok. Something about it being grounded..."
I thought about responding with something sarcastic, but it felt weirdly inappropriate at something called "The Cathedral".
The quirky signs throughout the sculpture seem to have their own dry wit to them, vaguely ironic depending on their placement. Some of the quotes are stamped or carved into the concrete, and are a little more uplifting.
Probably my favorite sign, "Attack Cat on Duty" reminded me of @isaria, everyone's favorite Mother of Cats. I had the opportunity to have a meetup with her while I was in Austin, which I will eventually write a post about. It shall be called Isaria's Big Day Out (keep an eye out!)
This portion of the sculpture reminded me of a Native American totem- multiple kids toys circled it like the animals that were normally carved into those pieces of cultural art.
The second story of the cathedral felt surprisingly sturdy, considering it was made of a pile of children's toys and household items, all held together by welding and concrete.
These trolls were tied to a chrome piece ripped off a car. Their smiles looked a little pained, like they were aware of how awkward it was when someone looked up at them. It was one of the driest places in the entire sculpture, so a good place to safely get a picture with my phone.
In order to visit The Cathedral, you have to call ahead and schedule an appointment. The sculpture constantly changes depending on Vince's whims, so there is always something new and interesting to see. Vince is doing his part to keep Austin weird and wonderful.
Words and photos are property of Sunravelme
very beautiful piece!! :)
Btw! I am new here in houston, if in any case do you know some other groups here near us that are steemians too :)
Keep watch for my next post!
What a find. Way to create, Vince:)
Right?? I love his taste- the slide was probably my favorite, but he also had areas that were themed by color, and various "throne rooms" that were obviously designed to be little hide-outs and seating areas. If I were him I'd make the whole thing my own private clubhouse.
These are amazing pictures! Sounds and looks like you guys had a great time.
Austin was fannnnnnntastic. So many fun things to see and do! And eat ;)
i love it. i want to go..
Do eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
Did you pray in it. Hehhe
Haha! There have actually been weddings held there!
Only in Austin, right? Keep it weird.
For sure! Although Denver also has it's share of weird sculptures...
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmazGvSPHZKhCpYg7xq4YcxkY5tdzWeCpDGDKLFxv3fzBs/image.png)
Heya, just swinging by to let you know you're being featured in our Daily Travel Digest!
I'm so honored! Thank you for the feature!
What a place.. giving me a lot of inspiration for the venusmachine I'm planing to build!
You can't leave me hanging! What is the venusmachine? Is there a post about this that I missed?? I want to hear more!
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I ❤️ that junky place!