Amid the sleek modern buildings along Bajkalská Street, one headquarters stands out—thanks to an upside-down house that looks like it crashed straight into its façade. This whimsical installation, created by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, is known as House Attack. Wurm posed the playful question: “Can one small house attack a bigger house?”
The irony runs deep: a modest family home seems to be colliding with the Slovak headquarters of Strabag Ltd., an Austrian construction and engineering giant better known for building high-rises and large-scale developments. On another level, the piece nods to the complicated history between Austria and Slovakia, with the underdog house appearing to strike back at a looming corporate power.
Originally intended as a temporary five-year project, the installation has remained for more than a decade. Wurm has created other versions of House Attack in Vienna and Buenos Aires, but the Bratislava piece continues to surprise passersby and inject a sense of humor into the cityscape.