Right now the Portland Museum of Art is filled with the sound of pounding nails. The uncharacteristic noise is coming from the construction of of Ethan Hayes-Chute's spectacular piece called "Hermitage," which is part of the soon-to-open 2009 Biennial. An actual two-story building, he and his friends are building it right in the center of the Great Hall.

Here's Ethan, who grew up in Freeport and now lives in Berlin, peering out of one of the unfinished windows. His aim is to re-create a backwoods camp or a seaside shack. The type of structure a hermit would call home.

In the 2007 Biennial, four of his small acrylic paintings were selected for inclusion and all depicted small cabins.

"I'm often trying to create feelings of isolation and solitude with my paintings," he told me, later adding "this is based on numerous other cabins I've seen in movies or real life."

When it's complete, the hut will be open for museum visitors to enter and explore. This photo (snapped from the show's catalog proof) gives a glimpse of what the inside of the cabin will look like. Ethan plans to fill it with found and salvaged objects to give it a real lived-in feel.

"I'm a total pack rat, so I've been collecting stuff since I could drive," Ethan said, and added that he plans to clean out all the stuff he's stored in his parents' basement over the years. (I can just hear them breathing a sigh of relief.)

All the wood being used in the project was salvaged from local recycling centers or donated by friends and family. This past winter, Ethan created a similar piece for the Berlin gallery Program.

"I'm trying to make it as authentic as a real house would be," Ethan said.

He expects to finish construction this week and then work on outfitting the interior next week.

This year's much anticipated Biennial will feature a number of unusual art installations, including a piece by Sam van Aken that will reportedly play music and roll around. The show opens to the public April 8, but anyone can stop by this week or next to see Ethan at work.