Palm Springs became “Hollywood’s desert playground” for the movie community elite in the 1920s in part because it met the “two-hour-rule” - the contractual obligation to stay within close traveling distance from the studio lots 100 miles to the west. Lita Albuquerque’s performance piece, hEARTH. I’ll schedule a longer stay for Desert X in 2019, in order to visit every exhibit.Īrmando Lerma’s La Fiesta En El Desierto. The undulating wall referenced both Op Art painting and heat haze - the shimmering visual distortion that occurs in the desert.įollowing are photos of some of the other Desert X installations - all brilliant. The interiors of the house offered a never-ending kaleidoscope of light and reflections.Ĭlaudia Comte’s Curves & Zigzag was a nearly 10-foot high and 100-foot long concrete wall covered with repeating black and white S-patterns that gradually sharpened into zigzags as you walked along it. I stayed an extra night just to see Doug Aitken’s super-popular Mirage - a mirror-clad ranch house that almost disappeared into the landscape while reflecting panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and desert. The exterior reflects the earth and the interior reflects the sky, forming what the artist calls “a space of reflection within the middle of the desert.” Smith’s The Circle Of Land And Sky is a 600-foot-long arena of mirrored posts angled at 10 degrees. One of the most popular Desert X installations was Doug Aitken’s mirrored house, Mirage. Timed to coincide with the annual Coachella Music Festival, which draws tens of thousands of revelers to the desert every spring, Desert X debuted in February and was on view through April. In two days, I managed to see only three of the works - but they were knockouts! DESERT X MIRAGE HOURS TODAY FREEThe free exhibitions sprawled across some 45 miles of the Coachella Valley, from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Salton Sea. The ambitious project included more than 15-site specific works focused on global and local environmental, social, and cultural issues, curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield. I last visited Palm Springs for a very exciting Coachella Valley event: the inaugural Desert X, a biannual exhibition of indoor and outdoor art installations by global artists. The Uptown Design District of Palm Springs offers tempting shopping, dining, and cultural events. The Coachella Valley (locals simply call it “The Valley”) is a string of nine desert towns - the best-known Palm Springs, as well as Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Coachella.Ī mere two-hour drive from Los Angeles and San Diego, Palm Springs is surrounded by the dramatic peaks of the Santa Rosa, San Jacinto, and Little San Bernardino Mountains. One of the places that beckons is Southern California’s Coachella Valley, the desert resort area that lures international snow birds drawn by its natural beauty, year-round sun, golf courses, tennis facilities, spas, hiking, gambling, and vibrant nightlife. I’m making travel plans now to leave Manhattan once winter arrives.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |