Baba Yaga Houses

Public Art : Baba Yaga Houses

Also Known As : Chicken Legged Houses

Sculptor: © Marwa Fahmy

Description: The group consists of three fabricated brightly painted aluminium houses mounted on metal chicken legs. The three sculptures range from  2.4 metres to 3.2 metres high. They were inspired by a character in Eastern European folk lore, Baba Yaga, who lived in a hut that stood on chicken legs.

Date Unveiled: 2011

Commissioned by : The Museum Street Park was commissioned by the East Perth Redevelopment Authority ( Now MRA).

Location: The Baba Yaga Houses are located outside Central TAFE  in Museum Street Park , 25 Aberdeen Street , Perth , Western Australia.

Background to the Baba Yaga Houses Sculptures:

The sculptures were designed by 23 year old Visual Art graduate Marwa Fahmy, who was the winner of the Museum Street Precinct Park Public Art Project, a collaboration between the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA) and Central Tafe to revitalise the precinct.

Central Managing Director Neil Fernandes said of the group “I love how the design draws from fairy tales, an education form that stretches across the globe and how Marwa’s work both reflects and celebrates our diverse culture here at Central,”

Things you may not know about Baba Yaga :

Baba Yaga ( Baba Roga) is a witch or hag that features in Slavic folklore.

In the folk tales Baba Yaga lives in a little hut that stands on dancing chicken legs, She is often depicted as a witch who flies around snatching little kids and eating them.

In the Russian tale Baba Yaga’s  keyhole on her front door is a mouth full of sharp teeth and the fence made of human bones with skulls on top.

Sometimes she is portrayed as the antagonist and sometimes as a source of guidance, offering wisdom to the hero.

In the Polish folk tale Baba Yaga’s hut has only one chicken leg.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Paola Anselmi, the City of Perth Arts & Cultural Development Coordinator, for kindly providing information about the Baba Yaga Houses.