The Compass

"The Compass" a large-scale land art project in the region east of San Diego County.  The work will be approximately 50'x 50'x70' placed on a substantial piece of land.  The Anza Borrego Desert and the surrounding areas are approximately 2 hours east of San Diego.  The habitat is in the Colorado Desert Ecosystem/Peninsular Mountain Range and is arid for much of the year.  The minimal and desolate landscape can prove be intimidating to many visitors.  The vastness also creates a sense of disorientation and as one artist stated “my voice does not return to me”. Unlike in arboreal landscapes which the pleasures of the land are immediate, arid landscape requires patience and a willingness to explore.  There is a sense of danger, whether it be from the prickly flora to poisonous fauna.  Even the environment itself can pose an extreme hazard due to the lack of water.  There are unfortunately many tragic stories of hikers and illegal immigrants perishing in this topographical corridor.  However, I find that for me the silence and the void creates an opportunity to find one’s self.  The work deals with the existential search of oneself in such a harsh environment.  Issues regarding the migration of people, vegetation, and animals throughout the region will be addressed.  The concept will center around the finding of direction both physically and physiologically. 

 

Logistically, the Compass will involve the securing an appropriate aesthetic site and bringing full scale ships into the desert.  The juxtaposed ships will be placed in the cardinal directions creating a massive compass.    Viewers will be allowed to visit the piece, taking time to interact with the artworks.  They can perform aesthetic research of the arid landscape as well as spend time to visit long-term to fully appreciate the solitude and the silence of their psyche.  They will also be encouraged to move away from the site and appreciate the Compass from afar and be challenged to understand the scale of the landscape.