Hanging Over Your Head (14 Photos)

Fourteen things hanging or looming right above people’s heads

A house on a crane. A dead horse under a glass dome. A train hanging under its own track above a river. Some of these are art, some are engineering and some are just very large rocks, and in most of them people go about their day right underneath.

More: Buildings That Won’t Behave (10 Photos)

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🌳 “Arrancada de raíz” — By Leandro Erlich in Bogotá, Colombia 🇨🇴

A whole brick house dangles from a crane in Chapinero’s Lourdes square, roots hanging out of the bottom like a pulled-up weed. Erlich made it for Bogotá’s BOG25 art biennial in 2025 and gave it the look of the old houses in Chapinero, Quinta Camacho and La Merced.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsArrancada de raíz — Leandro ErlichLeandro Erlich · 2025 · Bogotá, ColombiaHung from a craneBOG25Plaza de Lourdes1A house with roots at its base hung from a construction crane.bienalbogota.com2Leandro Erlich designed this version for BOG25 in Bogotá’s Plaza de Lourdes.bogota.gov.co202520 SepInstalled, El Espectador202522 SepHanging house, La FM photo2025OctPhoto on Wikimedia Commons202526 OctFarewell serenade, Citytv202528 OctStreet View: plaza empty202511 NovCity report: new nameRead the full file →

📷 Photo: HernanAAA / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

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⛰️ Setenil de las Bodegas — Andalusia, Spain 🇪🇸

A cliff hangs over the cafe tables on Calle Cuevas del Sol, and nobody glances up. The white houses were built under rock overhangs carved out by the river, so the rock does the job of the roof.

💡 Name Fact: “Bodegas” comes from the wine cellars of settlers who planted vineyards here in the 15th century. Phylloxera wiped the vines out in the 1860s, but the name stayed.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsCalle Cuevas del SolSetenil de las Bodegas · Cádiz, SpainCave housesSouth-facing streetNatural rock roofs1The cave houses use natural rock shelters, closed by front walls, with the rock forming much of their roof.setenildelasbodegas.es2Calle Cuevas del Sol faces south, bringing sunlight to the façades of its cave houses.turismodesetenil.com2015JunStreet View201923 OctOur photo, Rafa Esteve202315 DecLa Bodeguita, Draceane202612 MarQué! feature202621 AprEl Español featureMore photos2023 The street under the rock, with the village behindPhoto: Draceane / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Rafa Esteve / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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⭐ “Collecting Dreams” — By Adry del Rocío in Doha, Qatar 🇶🇦

A child leans out from the painted wall as fish, starfish, and birds drift through the scene. The tiny person at street level makes the dreamer feel enormous—and makes the whole mural seem to float above the real city.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsCollecting Dreams — Adry del RocioAdry del Rocio · 2023 · Doha, QatarWorld Wide WallsOld Doha Port1Adry del Rocio painted Collecting Dreams at Old Doha Port for the World Wide Walls festival.qm.org.qa2Gulf Times describes a child reaching for a starfish, a symbol of dreams.gulf-times.com20232 DecNew murals at Old Doha Port · Gulf Times202510 FebPhotos posted by Colourfulworld · capture date unverifiedRead the full file →

🔗 Follow Adry del Rocío on Instagram · Project source: Qatar Museums · Archive source: Street Art Utopia

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🍓 “Horn of Plenty” — By Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam in Rotterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱

Above the shoppers and food stalls in the Markthal, the ceiling is one enormous still life. The artwork covers about 11,000 square meters of the arch with blown-up fruit, vegetables, seeds, fish, flowers and insects, printed on 4,000 aluminum panels.

💡 Neighbor Fact: The arch is also an apartment building, and some flats have windows on the inside, so residents can look down onto the market.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHoorn des Overvloeds — Arno Coenen and Iris RoskamArno Coenen and Iris Roskam · 2014 · Rotterdam, Netherlands11,000 m²4,000 panelsPerforated aluminium1The inside of Rotterdam's Markthal arch is covered with a giant printed still life of 11,000 m².dutchdesignawards.nl2Arno Coenen’s project page says the image was divided into 4,000 panels printed on perforated aluminium.arnocoenen.art20141 OctOpened with the Markthal · BKOR201423 OctPhoto of the ceiling · camera dateMore photos2014 A closer view of the muralPhoto: Vysotsky (Wikimedia) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Paul van de Velde (via Flickr) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

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☂️ Umbrella Sky Project — Águeda, Portugal 🇵🇹

Rows of open umbrellas float over the shopping streets of Águeda and turn the light below yellow. It started in 2012 with the town’s AgitÁgueda festival and has come back every summer since.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsUmbrella Sky Project — Impactplan (Impact Plan)Impactplan (Impact Plan) · 2012 · Águeda, PortugalAgitÁguedaBy Impact PlanSuspended umbrellas1According to NiT, coloured umbrellas return to central Águeda each summer.nit.pt2It was created by the company Impact Plan for the town's AgitÁgueda festival.nit.pt201914 DecNiT on the history of the umbrella street202513 SepPhoto of the flower canopy on Rua José Maria Veloso · camera date202513 SepPhoto of umbrellas over Rua Luís de Camões · camera date202610 JulUmbrellas up for AgitÁgueda 2026 · TugaDailyMore photos2025 Multicoloured umbrellas over Rua Luís de CamõesPhoto: Threeohsix / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Threeohsix / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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☎️ “The Wire” — By SETH in Fontaine, France 🇫🇷

Two children faced each other from opposite buildings, each holding one end of a cup-and-string telephone. A real tram wire crossed the street between them, completing the illusion above everyone passing below. The work was replaced in 2021, but this photograph preserves the street-wide trick.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsThe Wire (Le fil) — Seth (Julien Malland)Seth (Julien Malland) · 2017 · Fontaine, FranceDiptychGrenoble Street Art Fest1Seth painted The Wire on two facing gables in Fontaine for the Grenoble Street Art Fest.itinerrance.fr2Each child holds a yogurt pot joined by a wire: one speaks into it, the other listens, Itinerrance writes.itinerrance.fr201723 JunSeth paints The Wire in Fontaine · Itinerrance2021Replacement on the same gables · AlpvivRead the full file →

🔗 Artist and project: SETH — “The Wire” · Archive source: Street Art Utopia

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⚰️ Hanging Coffins — Sagada, Philippines 🇵🇭

In Echo Valley some of the dead were never buried. Their coffins are tied to the limestone cliffs, because moving them higher up brings them closer to their ancestral spirits.

💡 History Fact: The practice is older than the Spanish arrival and probably goes back more than 2,000 years.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHanging Coffins of Sagada — Kankanaey communityKankanaey community · Sagada, PhilippinesEcho ValleyIgorot customCliff burials1In Sagada, Philippines, the dead are laid in coffins tied or nailed high on cliff faces.bbc.com2BBC Travel describes coffins carved by the elderly; placing them high is believed to bring the dead closer to ancestral spirits.bbc.com200912 FebPhoto of coffins on the Sagada cliff · camera date20158 JunPhoto of the cliff-side coffins · camera date20186 AprBBC Travel feature on the custom201913 JanPhoto of the hanging coffins · camera date20252 DecSites closed one day for sagangsang · PhilstarMore photos2019 Hanging coffins in Sagada, January 2019Photo: Виктор Пинчук / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Andrewhaimerl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🐦 “Forgotten Songs” — By Michael Thomas Hill in Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺

Empty birdcages hang over Angel Place while recordings bring back the calls of native birds that once filled central Sydney. People walk directly beneath the installation, turning the narrow lane into a remembered soundscape.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsForgotten Songs birdcage sound installation by Michael Thomas Hill, Angel Place, Sydney, AustraliaMichael Thomas Hill · First shown 2009 · Sydney, Australia50 bird speciesDay and night callsAngel Place1The installation plays calls of 50 bird species once heard in central Sydney.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au2Daytime birdsongs give way to nocturnal calls as day turns to night.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au200910 OctCity: first shown201111 AprReturn announced201226 MayPanoramio photo, on Commons201221 OctPanoramio photo, on Commons201216 NovArchitectureAU: permanent201327 JunUrban design award20136 JulFlickr photo, on Commons201515 Jan500px photo, on Commons201627 MarCommons photo201629 AugCommons photo20228 SepSecret Sydney202430 DecCommons photoMore photos2012 Birdcages viewed from belowPhoto: Annette Teng / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)2012 Birdcages along Angel PlacePhoto: Paul Lakin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)2013 The hanging cages from belowPhoto: Mike Weber / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Read the full file →

🔗 Artist and artwork: Michael Thomas Hill — “Forgotten Songs” · Archive source: Street Art Utopia

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🦩 “HOME” — By Matthew Mazzotta at Tampa International Airport, Florida, USA 🇺🇸

A 21-foot pink flamingo pushes its head and beak down through wave-like ceiling panels in the airport’s main terminal. Travelers can walk directly beneath it, as if they have stepped underwater beside the feeding bird.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHOME — Matthew MazzottaMatthew Mazzotta · 2022 · Tampa, USAMain TerminalNicknamed PhoebeResin and fiberglass1Matthew Mazzotta's pink flamingo HOME stands in the Main Terminal of Tampa International Airport.tampaairport.com2The public named it Phoebe after a contest that received more than 65,000 entries.news.tampaairport.com202225 MarFlamingo going up in the terminal · TPA20231 SepPhoebe wins CODAWorx Award · TPA20235 SepFOX 13 on the award202614 SepAirport identifies Phoebe beside the new currency exchange · TPA reportRead the full file →

🔗 Artist: Matthew Mazzotta · Official project: Tampa International Airport · Archive source: Street Art Utopia

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🪨 Monsanto — Castelo Branco, Portugal 🇵🇹

A house-sized granite boulder sits on a smaller one, and the cafe set up its umbrellas just below it. In Monsanto the stone houses are squeezed between colossal boulders, and some walls and roofs are just the rock itself.

💡 Village Fact: In 1938 Monsanto won a government contest for the title of “the most Portuguese village in Portugal.”

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsMonsantoMonsanto, PortugalIdanha-a-NovaGranite houses1According to BBC Travel, Monsanto’s houses stand among granite boulders weighing up to 200 tonnes.bbc.com2According to BBC Travel, Casa de Uma Só Telha has a roof formed by a single slab of rock.bbc.com197511 AprRTP archive film on the village201519 AprPhoto of a granite house · camera date20185 AprBBC Travel feature on the boulder village202226 FebPhoto of boulder houses · camera dateMore photos2022 Boulder houses along a narrow lanePhoto: Perigrinator / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Alvesgaspar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🐴 “Kůň” (Horse) — By David Černý in Prague, Czech Republic 🇨🇿

Saint Wenceslas, Bohemia’s patron saint, sits proudly on his horse, except the horse is dead, upside down and hanging by its legs from the ceiling of the Lucerna Palace passage. It is Černý’s answer to Myslbek’s famous Wenceslas statue on nearby Wenceslas Square.

💡 History Fact: The palace itself was built between 1907 and 1921 by Vácslav Havel, grandfather of President Václav Havel.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsKůň — David ČernýDavid Černý · 1999 · Prague, Czech Republic470 cm highLucerna passageFoam and epoxy1St Wenceslas rides the belly of an upside-down dead horse hung from the Lucerna passage ceiling.prague.eu2Prague's tourist board calls it probably the most photographed of Černý's works.prague.eu19998 OctShown on lower Wenceslas Square · prague.eu200023 FebInstalled in the Lucerna passage · prague.eu20127 AugPhoto in the Lucerna passage · camera date20137 MayListed by Atlas Obscura201917 JulPhoto under the Lucerna dome · camera date202022 MayNamed in Expats.cz guide to Černý20255 OctPhoto, still hanging · camera dateMore photos2012 Kůň in Lucerna PassagePhoto: Fred Romero / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)2019 The suspended horse under the glass domePhoto: Yelkrokoyade / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: JensKunstfreund / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🍄 Metropol Parasol — By Jürgen Mayer H. in Seville, Spain 🇪🇸

Locals call it Las Setas, the mushrooms. The waffle-patterned canopy, roughly 150 by 70 meters and about 26 meters high, throws shade over the people crossing Plaza de la Encarnación.

💡 History Fact: Finished in 2011, it was marketed as the largest wooden structure in the world. Roman and Moorish remains found on the site are on show in an archaeological museum underneath.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsMetropol Parasol (Las Setas) — Jürgen Mayer H.Jürgen Mayer H. · 2011 · Seville, SpainSix parasolsLas SetasTimber canopy1Six timber 'mushrooms' shade Seville's Plaza de la Encarnación.zueblin-timber.com2The canopy contains a market and public space, with an archaeological museum below and rooftop walkways above.zueblin-timber.com201127 MarOfficial opening, Guardian review201921 OctPhoto of the parasols · camera date20245 AprPhoto with the Iglesia de la Anunciación · camera date202416 OctPhoto of the timber parasols · camera date202630 SepProtest camp under the Metropol Parasol · 101TV202620 OctProtest camp at Las Setas · El EspañolMore photos2024 The timber parasols seen in October 2024Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Gzzz / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🚝 Schwebebahn — Wuppertal, Germany 🇩🇪

In Wuppertal the train hangs from the rail instead of sitting on it, and has done so since 1901. About 10 of its 13.3 kilometers run over the Wupper river, some 12 meters above the water, so full trains pass over the heads of people walking the riverbanks.

💡 Elephant Fact: In July 1950 a young circus elephant named Tuffi jumped out of a moving train car and fell 12 meters into the Wupper. She got away with minor injuries.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsWuppertaler Schwebebahn — Eugen Langen (system designer)Eugen Langen · 1901 · Wuppertal, GermanyAbout 12 m above Wupper13.3 kmHanging cars1The 13.3 km route runs about 12 metres above the Wupper on its river section.en.wikipedia.org2Wikipedia calls it the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world.en.wikipedia.org19011 MarOfficial opening · schwebebahn.de201812 JulPhoto of a Generation 15 train · camera date202524 MayPhoto of Schwebebahn trains · camera date20268 Oct99.4% availability in September · WSWMore photos2025 A train above the WupperPhoto: Qwertzu111111 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: guillanst / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🕸️ “She Changes” — By Janet Echelman in Matosinhos, Portugal 🇵🇹

A giant red net hangs over a seaside roundabout in Matosinhos and sways in the wind while traffic circles underneath. Echelman drew on the town’s fishing past, and the red-and-white striped poles echo the old factory smokestacks.

💡 Weight Fact: The net itself weighs about one ton. It hangs from a 20-ton steel ring held up by tall steel poles.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsShe Changes — Janet EchelmanJanet Echelman · Matosinhos, PortugalAnémonaThree steel polesWind-moved net1Janet Echelman's giant net floats over Praça Cidade São Salvador in Matosinhos, in tribute to its fishing community.cm-matosinhos.pt2Echelman's studio credits it as the first permanent monumental public sculpture made entirely of soft, flexible membranes.echelman.com20051 JunAbout to be dedicated · Metropolis200726 OctPhoto over Praça Cidade S. Salvador · camera date201616 SepPhoto of the Anémona · camera date202126 AprTime Out: the anémona is backMore photos2016 She Changes, the Anémona of Matosinhos, 2016Photo: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Hugo Cadavez (via Flickr) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)