Two new window art installations are available for the public to view for the next six months as part of the Ion District’s rotating art installation program entitled "Eye on Art."

The display, “Creation, Current, Solution,” was made by artist Kill Joy, and "The SpLaVCe Program" was created by Christopher Blay.

“Creativity plays a vital role in fostering innovation, and we’re honored to provide artists like Christopher and Kill Joy with a platform to serve as an inspiration for the entire innovation ecosystem here at the Ion,” Ion Executive Director Jan Odegard said in a news release.

The details

Blay is one of the two artists whose art was chosen to be on display at the Ion District’s windows.

  • His work, he said, reflects the conditions that have been part of Black life in America, from triumphs of culture to sociopolitical situations. Blay’s display, “The SpLaVCe Program,” he said, is a combination of a slave ship and a spaceship exploring the African diaspora.
Christopher Blay speaks with officials from the local Houston museum district. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Christopher Blay (center) speaks with officials from the local Houston museum district. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
  • Blay’s ongoing series and latest body of work, “The SpLaVCe Program,” collaborated with the Ion Prototyping Lab, and used canvases and wood frames to create an innovative, cohesive piece that combines elements of slaving vessels and spaceships into one object that symbolizes where the Black community has been and where they are going.
One of the two artists who art was chosen to be on display at the Ion District’s display windows is Christopher Blay. HIs work, he said, reflects the conditions that have been part of Black life in America, from triumphs of culture to socio-political situations. Blay’s display “The SpLaVCe Program,” he said, is a combination of a slave ship and a spaceship exploring the African diaspora. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
One of the two artists whose art was chosen to be on display at the Ion District’s display windows is Christopher Blay. HIs work, he said, reflects the conditions that have been part of Black life in America, from triumphs of culture to socio-political situations. Blay’s display “The SpLaVCe Program” is a combination of a slave ship and a spaceship exploring the African diaspora, he said. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Christopher Blay's exhibit includes old television screens that he incorporated, he said, because the Ion building is located in the former Sears store building. He said he wanted it to go along the theme of window-front store displays. One of the screens is a live camera of the inside of the spaceship. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Christopher Blay's exhibit includes old television screens that he incorporated because the Ion building is located in the former Sears store building, he said. He said he wanted it to go along the theme of window-front store displays. One of the screens is a live camera of the inside of the spaceship. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)

Kill Joy's window display at the Ion, “Creation, Current, Solution,” is an animated puppet installation exploring how society can advance as a global community, seen through the lens of Filipino folklore.

  • The piece centers on indigenous experience by exploring regional mythology and how it speaks to living situations. It is an exploration of destiny for people and planet, and how society can construct technological advancements for sustainable living conditions, according to a news release.
Artist Kill Joy works on the mechanics of her art exhibit that includes moving puppetry. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Artist Kill Joy works on the mechanics of her art exhibit that includes moving puppetry. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)

Her work is grounded in honoring the earth and seeking environmental and social justice. Her practice centers around relief printmaking, mural painting and puppet making; and throughout her work, she focuses on the belief that the deliberation of all human beings corresponds to the freedom of the land, water and air, where greed and contamination are replaced with love and compassion, she said.

Members from Filipinx Artists of Houston, a collective of Filipinx visual, performing, literary, culinary and multidisciplinary artists based in Houston, came to support Kill Joy’s work. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Members from Filipinx Artists of Houston, a collective of Filipinx visual, performing, literary, culinary and multidisciplinary artists based in Houston, came to support Kill Joy’s work. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)

Zooming out



The last installation as part of the rotating program at the Ion, Efflorescence, opened to the public March 30.