You’ve probably heard the term “cookie-cutter” to describe rows of houses seemingly indistinguishable from one another, save details like color or which side the garage sits on. For Brooklyn-based artist Hayden Williams, the comforting yet slightly eerie predictability of these sprawling settings is fodder for Suburbs, a series of illustrations tapping into American obsessions with privacy and perfect lawns.
“A lot of things interest me about suburbia,” Williams tells Colossal. “I enjoy the quiet, uncanny beauty that, due to its cookie-cutter nature, is also extremely relatable and nostalgic to many people.”
Williams uses Houdini, a 3D rendering tool, to create his saccharine digital landscapes. Through visual puns and mysterious lightning effects, he emphasizes recognizable elements of neighborhood life, like in “Nosy neighbors,” in which a house curves upward and hovers over the adjacent property as if paying way-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, imbuing the houses with personality.
In “Best friends,” for example, a single walkway connects the front doors of two houses, which sit alone in an expansive, shared lawn. And in “Cul de sac,” an identifiable feature of many planned developments sinks into the ground to create a spiraling, 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, odd things take place. The series tells some of these stories—sad, weird, humorous—and tackles themes of growing up in suburbia and leaving it behind.”
Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
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