Williamsburg's Cheapest Airbnb Listing Is Actually an Art Gallery — and You're the Art

EAST WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — From now until Nov. 27, one local artist is offering travelers a place to rest their weary bones in trendy East Williamsburg — two blocks from the L train! — for a mere $13 per bed, per night. There's just a couple small catches: The four beds in the room are covered in salt, soil, rice and paper ripped from women's diaries, respectively. And when you sleep in one of them, you agree to become a living, breathing symbol of "the relationship between art and hospitality."

Three people have already booked a night in the room at 976 Grand St., according to the hosts. One guest is even planning to journey cross-country for a two-night stay.

This unconventional Airbnb rental is actually an art exhibit called "Untitled (four beds)," installed by Ayden Leroux inside IDIO Gallery. According to gallery director Montana Simon, it's an opportunity to "experience something common in a new way."

"We give [guests] tea. We give them a warm blanket. Their body, though, is in contact with the materials," Simone explained by phone, minutes before the exhibit's Thursday night opening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Once the patrons trickle home Thursday night, the exhibit will transform into a legit Airbnb rental. (Check-in time is 9 p.m.)

"Each bed installation is fertile ground for an indelible sleep," the listing says. "(Untitled), four beds takes the mark of the body to explore the experiences held within and between the sheets."

"This work is meant to be touched," it says. "Sleep in it, dream in it, toss and turn in it."

The room, priced at $50 total, can accommodate up to four guests. It's relatively private, although the listing warns that "a host will be onsite at the gallery, staying through the night in a separate space" and "there are other tenants in the building who may cross the gallery space (where the beds are) to exit or enter."

Shower access and clean towels will be provided. However, guests are encouraged to bring sleepwear that they don't mind getting dirty.

In its 100-year history, the property now occupied by IDIO Gallery "was once a horse barn, a muralist headquarters and a rave dungeon," according to the gallery's website. This, though, will be its first run as the cheapest and downright Williamsburgiest home share in the neighborhood.

Photos courtesy of Ayden Leroux/IDIO Gallery