A hut inspired by the golden mane of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took root in Red Hook this past weekend.
Made of a wooden frame and 98 hula skirts, the "Trump Hut" was created by Douglas Cameron and Tommy Noonan of DCX, a creative advertising firm also known for its "artisanal" publicity stunt at a Boerum Hill deli last year.
“I think we bought every hula skirt we could find on Amazon.com,” Noonan said. "A lot of people like to touch it because it's so flowy."
Credit: Tommy Noonan
The coiffure-themed hut was originally made for an art show, "Gut Rehab," at Realty Collective, a real estate office at 351 Van Brunt St. Curator and artist Rachel Owens gave contributors visual and word prompts for the project, such as "air rights," "development" and "gentrification."
Spotted in Red Hook... #TrumpHut pic.twitter.com/3ZOAf6esUt
— Dan Ackerman (@danackerman) July 10, 2016
Noonan and Cameron decided to focus their piece on the real estate magnate turned reality star turned presidential hopeful, who, as Noonan put it, "created gentrification."
They wanted something that would "grab attention" — maybe a fake wall in front of the office?
But they realized that "the biggest thing that people talk about is his hair," Noonan said.
"Let's create a wigwam protesting hut out of Donald Trump's hair," he recalled thinking.
"Trump Hut" on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. [Credit: Sonja Solvang]
This, however, is no crunchy Occupy Wall Street-style protest tent. "Trump Hut" fits four chairs, a plush rug, champagne and cupcakes to give it a "luxury appeal."
While the hut only made a brief appearance in Red Hook on Sunday — it is currently back in storage — Noonan and Cameron are working on launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for several more "Trump Huts," which they hope to place throughout the country, from the Mexican border to Zuccotti Park and maybe even one of Trump's golf courses.
They hope that the "absurd" and humorous structure will inspire people to have conversations around the polarizing presidential race.
"It kind of brings people together," he said, "rather than tearing them apart."
