Respite, 2022
High Desert Test Sites 2022
The Searchers curated by Iwona Blazwick
Permanent Installation, Mojave Desert
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During my time living in the Morongo Basin (the Joshua Tree area for those not from around here) I have found that this desert holds significance for many as a place of refuge and transformation. It is often said that this desert acts as a magnifying glass, helping those who are sensitive to its calling, dig deep and see within themselves, helping them give over to its healing nature. It is a place to escape, a place to hide, a place to reckon with your inner self, the harshness of nature’s fist beaconing you to be present within yourself at every moment.
Respite was built as a sanctuary within the desert floor, calling attention to the beauty and majesty of this precious environment. It is the second piece in a series of works within the landscape of Wonder Valley, honoring the desert as sacred space. Reminiscent of the Zen concept of the Dewy Path where sequential spaces serve as a “means of spiritual preparation”, these works use the landscape and our relationship to sound and inner silence as a passageway to connecting to the numinous or transcendent.
