Wind

By Rachel Zollinger

Marfa, TX

October 20, 2016

Photo caption: Molly and Annie move with the wind.

2 am the wind started. 5 am everything in my tent was covered in a thick layer of dirt. 9 am we realized it was easier to move with the wind than fight it, like an inflatable wacky wavy tube person.

I Wonder

By Kaitlin Bryson

Marfa, TX

October 18, 2016

I wonder if we were to evolve past the current state of collectively inflated egos, would “politics” be a genre of stand-up comedy?  Would it then be possible to sincerely laugh at this silly performance that we as a people enact?  What would things look like if money didn’t rule the opinions of individuals, and individuals didn’t rule the lives of millions?  What if, instead, we asked the opinions of the Rattlesnakes, or of the microbial communities, or the Ocotillo, or the Javelina?  I bet the old Sycamores and the ancient Bristlecone Pines would have some great suggestions.  What if we actually sat quietly and listened to the desert? What if the voices of the marginalized were listened to?  And, what if a pipeline wasn’t allowed to destroy cultures or communities (above and below ground)?  What if water was seen as a living being?  Would we still shit in it?  What if the environmental agenda wasn’t a political agenda, or wasn’t part of an agenda at all?  What if it was agreed that if we destroy the land, we destroy ourselves?  What if it was obvious to everyone that we (humans) are not in control, and that we (humans) are just another organ in a body?  

Trans-Pecos Pipeline (Under-Construction)

By Molly Zimmer

Highway 67, Near Marfa, TX

October 21, 2016

During our Time in Marfa, Texas we met with a wonderful artist and activist, Alyce Santoro, who generously opened her home and showed us around for two days to discuss how the Trans-Pecos Pipeline has and will continue to affect her community in Alpine, TX.

Check out her work at http://www.alycesantoro.com.

Get involved @defendbigbend

The same company that that is building this pipeline, is also being fought by the protestors up at Standing Rock near Cannon Ball, North Dakota.

As part of the two days, we attended a Town Hall Meeting in the town of Presidio, TX to share the information about the Pipeline that would affect their community, and we drove past several locations where you could see Energy Transfer Partners already working fast to bury the pipe underground, and huge tracks that went for miles where they planned to lay pipe down.

Harnessing the Air in Windy Marfa

By Nancy Dewhurst

Marfa, Texas

October 20, 2016

We are in Marfa, learning about the Trans-Pecos pipeline. I am thinking about man’s bazaar need to claim ownership, particularly over natural resources.

A sketch - Harnessing the Air in Windy Marfa: https://youtu.be/VhbtoP4PhGY

Pipes

By Hamshya Rajkumar

Presidio, Texas

October 21, 2016

We have forgotten to feel with our entire body and being.

Unlike the snake, who cannot forget.

What their senses tell them is critical to their survival.

Those pipes are gonna affect us, wherever we are.

http://www.defendbigbend.org/

Pipeline Picnic

By Hollis Moore

Marfa/ Trans-Pecos Pipeline, TX

October 31, 2016

In this photo I am caught in action.  (I’m in the gray shirt sitting at the end of the table with a very focused gaze). This was the moment I decided to break my vegetarian diet to eat the sandwich presented to our group by Robert Luhan, an activist and artist, during a Pipeline picnic dialogue. The sandwich came from Don Jose Panaderia in Presidio, TX and is a fantastic meat and cheese filled braid of delicious goodness.

Sharing food is the keystone to opening a comfortable space for conversation. Our Land Arts group shared lunch with Lori, Nicole, Alice, and Roberto, all activists involved with Defend Big Bend. Over the course of devouring the 36” sandwich we learned about the development of the Trans-Pecos pipeline and its impact on the Trans-Pecos area socially, politically, and environmentally. These leaders of the grassroots, volunteer movement Defend Big Bend are incredibly passionate and intelligent trailblazers, committed to rebuilding fractured communities and preserving the land for generations to come.

Our group sharing a Don Jose Panaderia sandwich with Lori, Nicole, Alice, and Roberto was a way to bridge our two communities. A collective meal is rooted in reality, it is an embodied experience, and an attention to the present moment. The simple act of taking time to sit, eat, and chat together created an experience I will always remember and a responsibility to pass along and act on what I learned.

If you are interested in learning more about Defend Big Bend sign up for the blog here: http://www.defendbigbend.org/

Judd you did well

Chitra Sangtani

Judd you did well

Judd you did well

You articulated space

I liked the silver boxes that you placed

So neatly along the wall

You moved the whole door

Because the boxes looked wrong

I wonder would you move

Chairs all day long

Until the sun was

And the boxes were

Correct.

A stay in Marfa

Our last stop on our second journey was, you guessed it, MARFA!

Installation view, Donald Judd, 15 Untitled Works in Concrete, at the Chinati Foundation

The key thing about artwork in Marfa is that it must be seen in person, the viewers physical perception of the work is integral to it's meaning. Much like our experience at Walter de Maria's Lightning Field, visiting the artworks at Marfa lead to a very different experience and understanding of space and field. 

 During the day, students toured Prada Marfa, The Chinati Foundation (the full Chinati Collection, including Donald Judd's 100 Untitled Works in Mill Aluminum, as well as works by Carl Andre, Ingolfur Arnarsson, John Chamberlin, Dan Flavin, Ilya Kabakov, Richard Long, Claes Oldenburg, David Rabinowitch, John Wesley, and Coosje Van Bruggen). 

Students also spent a day touring the Judd Foundation (which includes Donald Judd's personal buildings: his architecture studio, his residence & studio aka The Block, and more). Students were given a closer look into how Donald Judd lived his life surrounded by and supported by his research and artwork.

At night students visited the numerous galleries, bookstores, and local establishments that make Marfa what it is. Before returning home to Albuquerque, we took a late-night drive to try our luck in the search for the famed Marfa Lights. 

This signals the end of our field journeys. Next up, our exhibition!

Photos by Elizabeth Shores.