hdts cb08 catalog - High Desert Test Sites

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pages 12-13
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pages 28-31
pages 32-33
Michael Kroesche
Acknowledgements
Nicole Panter
Project Descriptions
Map
Marnie Weber and the Spirit Girls
Julia Scher
Ry Rocklin
Hannah Greely
Yoshua Okon
Jack Pierson
Alice Konitz
Thom Merrick
Jonathan Hernandez
Patrick Jackson
Ann Magnuson
Amy and Wendy Yao Artist Swap Meet
Joel Kyack
Wonder Valley Institute of Contemporary Art
Mojave Viper: Interview with Holgie Forrester
Guy Green

This publication was produced in conjunction with the High Desert
Test Sites/CB08 event which took place November 7, 8 and 9, 2008 in
the High Desert ofPioneertoWll, Joshua Tree, 29 Palms and Wonder
Valley.
The publication design and cover by David Dodge
Editing by David Dodge,Andrea Zittel, Alexandra Wetzel
The High Desert Test Sites is a project founded by Andrea Zittel,
Shaun Caley-Regen, Lisa Anne Auerbach, John Connely and Andy
Stillpass.
A special thanks and round of appreciation and gratitude goes to our
new Administrative Director Alexandra Wetzel who has been instumental
in keeping everyone connected and catalizing this event.
Many more thanks to all the artists, volunteers, and our audience
-without you none of this would be possible.
All contents are copyright 2008 by the contributors.
For the most up-to-date information visit the HDTSwebsite at
http://www.highdeserttestsites.com
This project is affiliated with the 2008 California
Bieimial, organized by the Orange County Museum of Art
HDTS is produced for CB08 with LA>

The Sunset Western Garden Book h83 placed the Hj~
Desert in Death Zone 11, meaning nothing grows here without
great effort and lots of water. Trying to explain why I bought
a house in a scrubby, little, one-stoplight town like Twentynine
Palms has been like falling in love with a fat, toothless biker
guy and trying to explain him to friends and family.
The following is "why" and not order of any particular preference.
Smith's Ranch Drive-In
4584 Adobe Rd.
Twentynine Palms
(760) 367-7713
The only movie theater within a twenty-five mile radius of
Twentynine Palms also happens to be one of the last operating
drive-in theaters left in the United States (or the world, for that
matter). Smith's Ranch Drive-In shows nearly first-run movies
at 5 bucks per person - and that's for a double feature.
•
A recent double feature like "Disaster Movie" or "Bangkok
Dangerous" which at a walk-in theater with a $10.00 'admission
might be irritating, becomes instant fun and (almost)
top-drawer entertainment at the drive-in.
One of the most luscious sights I've ever seen anywhere
was a big, fat, orange harvest moon rising up one late summer
night, dead center, seemingly from right behind the
screen.
In the summer people bring their children, their dogs,
their cats and for some reason I've yet to figure out, their
farm animals to Smith's Ranch Drive-In. At one show alone,
I saw two pygmy goats and a baby pig - each with different
families.
There is, of course, a snack bar chock-full of the crappiest,
most gloriously artery-clogging junk food you could wish
for - electriC orange nachos, super fake buttery popcorn,
the kind of candy that pulls your fillings out - you name it.
Needless to say, you can also bring your own food in with you
- anything and as much of it as you want and no snotty, officious
little gatekeeper will try to confiscate it from you.
The show starts at dusk.
Ben Bottom's Oasis of Signs
Corner of Pine and Old Dale Rd.
Twentynine Palms
I (heart) Ben Bottoms. From the '30s through the
'70s there were approximately 72 motels and motor courts
located between Morongo Valley and Twentynine Palms. By
the time the '80s rolled around, most of these lodgings had
gone out of business and been abandoned. Ben Bottoms set
out to rescue the spectacular discarded and decaying classic
neon signage that advertised these places and he has created
a resting place for these vanishing artifacts in a motor court
compound once owned by his grandmother. The signs, along
with others Bottoms has salvaged from local roadhouses,
cocktail lounges and gas stations are artfully arranged on
the several acre site. The fenced-in Oasis of Signs is private
property, but you can park downhill on the street running

along its east boundary and enjoy a great view of the surreal
landscape Ben has created.
Seeing the Oasis.of Signs for the first time made me want
to own a house in TwentYnine Palms. It distills everything I
love about this quirky little city onto an acre or two.
The Weed Show
The Old Schoolhouse Museum
6760 National Park Drive
Twentynine Palms
1st Weekend in November, Yearly
Sat 12-4
Sun 10-4
While other towns may offer a flower show to bolster civic
pride, Twentynine Palms has a Weed Show. In 1940 a Twentynine
Palms Ladies Club, wishing to impress a visiting woman
writer with the charm of life in Sunset Western Garden Book's
Death Zone 11, came up with the idea of using a plentiful local
resource - weeds - organized in eye-pleasing arrangements
and entered into competition, thus, the Weed Show was born.
There are an average of 150 entries each year which utilize
found objects, rocks, glass, artifacts, dried native plants and,
of course, weeds.
The Weed Show nearly vanished into oblivion a couple of
times for various reasons, but never for very long. A local
pioneer, Ada Hatch, who passed away in 2003 co-founded the
show originally and was primarily responsible for resuscitating
the Weed Show whenever extinction loomed (a natural at it,
she always cleaned up prize-wise in many of the nine categories)
and she was memorialized several years ago when the
WeedShow's theme was "AdaRemembered."
While the theme of the Weed Show is always different, the
nine categories remain pretty much the same, with whole
categories given over to such desert peculiarities as "weeds
in arrangement that include purple glass" and "weeds in an
arrangement that includes weathered wood."
Judging is done blind - entrants names are obscured from
the panel of local luminary judges and everyone else attending
the Weed Show is given a "people's choice" ballot to determine
the workingman's favorite.
Part of the fun is the sheer perversity of celebrating weeds,
but some of the entries are otherworldly and surprising - instead
of kitsch, there is often simply sheer, stark beauty in the
compositions.
The Weed Show is held at the Twentynine Palms Historical
Society in the Old Schoolhouse Museum and like many other
cool things in this great little town, admission is free.
Morongo Basin Open Studio Tour
October 11-12 & 18-19
The Open StudiOTour used to coincide with HDTSand
The WeedShow,but his year the tour is happening a few
weeks earlier, which is a shame since it always made a
great homegrown compliment to the HDTS.
Split over two weekends and two geographic designations
(east and west Basin), the Open StudiOTour
covers a wide range of media, from photography to pottery,
furniture, sculpture, jewelry, painting and more.
Among the standouts is Mary Austin Klein in Twentynine
Palms. Klein paints exquisite, tiny, perfect desertscapes
that utterly capture the light and magic of the
Mojave. Another one of my favorites is Chris Carraher
of Wonder Valley,whose landscapes are abstract - just
simple shapes and colors that fully convey our otherworldly
environment. WallyPacholka takes long-exposure
photographs of the night sky that are both poetiC
and heroic in their scope. Mike Smiley of Joshua Tree
sculpts organic desert forms of iron and metal that look
right at home in a forest of creosote and Joshua trees.
+++

Part of the fun is also getting to see the unique-one-of-akind
studio and living spaces desert artists have created to
work in. Chuck Caplinger, a former art director for NASA
turned popular MojavePlein Air painter works out of a geodesic
dome just down the road from the Twentynine Palms
entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. Klein shows in her
lovingly preserved 1950s "Cactus" model pink brick homestead
cabin. Photographer Perry Hoffman started with
an existing little frame house in Wonder Valleyand has
expanded it with tile, found objects and building materials
mysteriously abandoned in the desert to create a rambling
Gaudi style domicile.
For more information about next year's Open Studio
Tours (including dates), go to the website of the Morongo
Basin Cultural Arts Council (www.mbcac.org).
Downtown Joshua Tree
Okay,I almost feel like I am being unfaithful to my unpresentable
biker guy (sorry Duane...), but I have to admit,
I've felt lust in my heart over the past couple of years for
the groovy little hamlet of Joshua Tree.
A fewyears ago, this former little grease-spot on the
map suddenly became much more interesting. A few visionaries
looked at the one block long, ill-used little downtown
and saw beyond the boarded-up buildings to the real
potential Joshua Tree had and its destiny as an arts-oasis
and gateway gem to a beloved National Park is finally being
fulfilled.
The first sign of new life in downtown JT was Spin
and Margie's Gift Shop about five or so years ago. It was
a great little storefront in downtown JT that carried hip,
well-pricedgifts, trinkets and books from all over the world.
Alas, Spin and Margie (Drew Reese and Mindy Kaufman)
closed the shop in order to devote more time to their
sweet little inn, Spin and Margie's Desert Hideaway (760)
366-9124, which is just east of town up Highway 62. Well
positioned on the road to Twentynine Palms, the hideaway
is an extension of the shop's aesthetic and is a fun, desert-y
place to stay.
The retail void downtown has been filled by Windwalkers
with goods from south of the border - they carry rugs,
large glazed garden pots, ceramic fountains and best of all,
the work of many local jewelers and crafts-people.
Crossroads is a healthy place to eat and the food is
always dependably good. The dark wood floors and heavy
furniture give it the cozy ambience of an early 70s hippie
establishment. Crossroads is also reasonably priced
which makes it the chosen hang of the local rock-climbing
constituency. The kitchen does hearty house-made
soups, which are perfect for inner-warmth and sustenance
in the Mojavewinter. The Caesar salad with a
chunk of ahi tuna is satisfying (and reasonably priced)
after a long day of boulder scrambling in the Park or arttouring
the HDTS.
Directly across the (busy) highway is the latest labor
of love from my favorite community building couple,
John Schuster and Olea Benson, the yummy Teacakes
Bakery, which is open every day from 8-3, except Tuesday.
The case sells out fast, especially on weekends, but
don't despair, the baker Yvonne always has something in
the oven. I am most fond of the chocolate chip cookies,
which are extra addictive when they are sprinkled with
sea salt while still warm - they are heaven with a cup of
Teacakes' coffee. Oh, Yvonne makes delicious savory empanadas
and the rumor on the street is that sandwiches
are on the way.
Next door to the bakery is Bonnie Kopp's True World
Gallery. True Worldfeatures an eclectiCmix of work
from a wide roster of artists. At the time of this HDTS,
my show of expired sx-70 polaroid translated-to-digital
images will be on display, along with work by Blake
Hines, a Tucson photogr1j.pherwho specializes in exquisite
long-exposure night shots. Come in on Nov. 8th,
from 4-7 for the opening and wish me a happy birthday
(it'll be happy and there will be chocolate cake - if the
election goes well!). True Worldalso carries license pla~=
art dubbed Trailer Tags - you can take home a readymade
phrase or order something custom - like your
street address. Bonnie also carries a selection of wha~
the local homesteading hot-chicks call "desert bling"

- highly sought-after, recycled/smashed bottle-cap/found object/paste
jewel necklaces handcrafted by an itinerant craftsman
who passes through the Basin on an irregular basis.
Next to the gallery, is Oleaand John's Instant Karma
YogaStudio, a small and perfect yoga space that has become
a cool sanctuary for the Basin's yoga practitioners. In the
summer, Instant Karma has a Friday dinner + yoga series
that is the highlight of our collective social calendars.
When you're done art-viewing and eating and shopping
and you've become completely pie-eyedand pixilated by our
little slice of heaven, go visit John Simpson, at All American
Realty (760) 366-8353, on the south side of Highway62 in
downtown JT. John is the go-toguy for your Basin-widereal
estate needs and there are lots of five-acrebargains lurking
among the boulders right now.
Just east of four-corners and downtownJT, on Highway
62 is an exceptional little treasure worth mentioning. Slightly
off the beaten path and absolutely worth a visit is the Art
Queen & WorldFamous Crochet Museum. The Museum is in
a rehabilitated Photo Mat booth. Need I say more?
If you are here on Saturday, just west of downtown
Joshua Tree, at Turtle Island - dubbed so in honor of the
giant turtle sculpture on the median strip - from 8 til noon
is the Basin's own Farmer's Market. The market sells lots of
yummy seasonal organic produce and local foodproducts to
fortify you during your HDTSadventure.
There is a long list of fun things to do here in the hi-desert,
but it'll have to keep for another time - visitors to the
High Desert Test Sites already have a full and interesting
dance card. Come back and visit us again soon!
+++
ieole Panter ran away from her childhood home in Palm Springs at 14 to join the circus, but she took a detour to the big city where she
~nd24 other misfits spontaneously combusted into what would become known as the Los Angeles punk rock scene. She managed the
otorious band The Germs, a moment in time that was immortalized in the documentary film, The Decline of Western Civilization. After her
980 retirement from punk rock, she became an actor & writer (The Pee Wee Herman Show), script editor, the author of a couple of books of
~ction,a culture & film critic, essayist, a photographer, a Mojave desert conservationist, an educator and a jeweler. She teaches screenwriting
at the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) and The College of Santa Fe. She splits her time between Santa Fe, NM and Twentynine
Palms, California.
DreamLand (Nov. 8-30, 2008)
earnland is the collective name for three different series of photographs which will be shown at shown at True World Gallery in Joshua
ee from November 8th to November 30th.

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS
#13. Alice Konitz , "Meeting With The Sage" 1:00 - 5:00
PM, Saturday and Sunday
Alice will meet with a local sage who will distribute advice
and wisdom to those who seek it.
#12. Hannah Greely, "Scout"
Hike to the middle of Andy's 100'acre Pioneertown parcel
for a view of "scout" - a small tortoise, it's burden weighing
heavily on it's back, also taking in the view ofthe long
journey stretched out before it.
#11 Marnie Webber and the Spirit Girls
8:00 PM Saturday night
Marnie Weber's conceptual art band "The Spirit Girls" is
based on a narrative fiction that Webber has been working
on for the last several years. "The Spirit Girls" are a group
of girls who allegedly died in their youth in the 70's and
have come back to share their message with the earthbound
folk. For High Desert Test Sites, they will perform a highly
visual 40-minute set featuring songs from their recent album,
"Forever Free."
# 10. Ann Maguson, "Time Travelling Hooker"
Episode 2 : Hot on the platform heels of last year's triumphant
pole-dancing extravaganza at the Joshua Tree Saloon,
Ann Magnuson brings back her beloved charachter the Time
Travelling Hooker. This time our heroic harlot finds herself
lost in a wormhole somewhere close to Landers. Utlizing the
curviture of time-space continum and aided by the ghostly
presence of country-rock legend Gram Parsons, the TTH
seeks solace in Room #8 at the Joshua Tree Inn. Video by
Matthew Amato
#9 Jonathan Hernandez "Vulnerabilia (cierto desierto)"
A visual essay from the vulnerabilia archive (photos from
newspapers) ... The desert as a metaphor of nothingness.
The desert as a context for disappearance. The desert of the
image.
Jonathan's book will be available at the HDTSHQ
#8. Patrick Jackson, "Yesterday & Tomorrow"
3:00 Saturday, 12:00 Sunday Performances
Yesterday & Tomorrow is a play performed by four archetypical
characters: a woman, a man, an old woman, and a young
boy. Their interactions on stage are not unlike those of their
counterparts in late night soap operas. But the characters
of this play are preoccupied with more than just melodrama,
they are also aware of their actual existence as characters
on stage: made up of fiesh, and words. Both the dialogue
and the movements of the characters constantly vacillate
between melodrama and structuralism; always with one question
in mind, "What is my body?" Runtime is approximately
30 minutes."
#7 Amy and Wendy Yao's Art Swapmeet at Blake Simpon's
Mojave Sands (motel):
Amy and Wendy Yao, "Art Swap Meet" 12-5pm
Saturday and Sunday is a long running HDTS favorite. Don't
miss your chance to bring home a piece of the event.
#6 Julia Scher Julia Scher "Surveillant Architectures", Security
By Julia"
The pre-coded narrative mixture of Julia's signs question the
generation of trauma by seizing invisibility as its locating
device. In a world where open land, public and private, is a
conduit for people and technology, how is public order defined?
With shifting notions of ownership, ecology, and human rights,
the right to real-time surveillance, measurement, and identification
is moving into more hands.
#6 Joel Kyack "The Greater The Goal The Deeper The Hole"
At the dusty intersection where legitimate archeology meets
seat-of-the-pants prospecting, Joel Kyack explores the hidden
rewards of impossible tasks.
#5 Ry Rocklin "High/Dry" Lullabye"Saturday 5:00 Performance
Within a patch of carpet on the Coyote Dry Lake bed Ry Rocklen
will perform as Lion Man. With vacuum cleaner in hand
Lion Man will suck up dust he sprinkles onto the carpet below
his feet. The "High/Dry Lullabye" will be scored by the whir
of the vacuum, the chant of the Lion Man, and the hum of the
generator.
#4. Jack Pierson
Jack is famous both far and wide for his drive-by signs
the latest one at his site along Amboy Road.
- catch
#3. Thom Merrick
Thom Merrick's work asks us to take a walk up and down a hill
in the vast nature and look at a stone hillside to consider the
artwork. Could the area be part of a paintings edge?"
#2. Yoshua Okon: White Russians 12:00 - 5:00 PM, Saturday
and Sunday White Russians is a collaboration with the Aikin
family of Wonder Valley. The visit to their home not only emphazises
the gaze of the spectator or art-goer, but also reverts it:
the family looks back
#1. Wonder Valley Institute of Contemporary Art:
Friday night 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM, and Saturday and Sunday
RAINBOWSEND the inaugural exhibition at the wonder valley
institute of contemporary art. The very first exhibition at
WVICAwill be an all out extravaganza of music, video, perofrmance
and art.
Visit their web site www.wvica.org for updates and list of
..
participants!

HIGH DESERT TEST SITES DRIVING MAP:
FRIDAy'NIGHT:
Inaugural Opening of the Wonder Valley Institute of Contemporary Art (6PM - 12AM)
A shuttle to the event will run on Friday night between the Palms Bar and Restaurant in Wonder Valley and WVICA. (there is
not enough parking at WVICA to accommodate everyone - so park your car and enjoy a beer at the Palms while waiting to
be shuttled) To the Palms in Wonder Valley: Drive east to 29 Palms. Turn LEFTon Adobe Road, then RIGHTon Amboy
Road. The Palms bar and restaurant will be about 13 miles on the RIGHT side of the road. (Look for the buffalo sign)
PIONEERTOWN AREA LOCATIONS
#13. Garth's place:
Alice Konitz , "Meeting With The Sage"
1:00 - 5:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday
From 29 Palms Hwy drive north on PioneerTown Rd.
Follow Rd about 7.5 miles. Turn RIGHT on Pipes Canyon Rd.
Drive 2.2 miles to Gamma Gulch Rd., turn LEFT,(Respect
our neighbors - do not drive above 20 mph on this
road!!) drive 1.7 miles past Cotton Tail, turn LEFTon Gods
Way Love, Drive to the end of God's Way Love - park.
#12. Andy's Gamma Gulch Site:
Hannah Greely, "Scout"
From 29 Palms Hwy turn right at Pioneertown Road.
Drive 7.5 miles. Turn RIGHT on Pipes Canyon Road.
Drive 2.2 miles to Gamma Gulch Rd., turn LEFT
(Respect our neighbors - do not drive above 20 mph
on this road!!) Drive 1.6 miles to God's Way Love, turn
RIGHT. Drive.4 miles to the green flagging tape on
your right. Park and walk into parcel which is on your
right.
Existing works:
the Wrong Gallery Flagpole
Kate Costello
Chuck Moffet and Ingram Ober
Giovanni Jance
Tao Urban
JOSHUA TREE LOCATIONS:
# 10. The Gram Parsons Room at the Joshua Tree Inn:
Ann Maguson, "TIme Travelling Hooker"
The Joshua Tree Inn is located at the West end of Joshua
Tree next to the big (faded) red playhouse: 61259 29 Palms
Hwy. Ann's installation will be in Room 8.
#9. Downtown Joshua Tree: HOTS Headquarters:
11 :00 AM - 4:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday
The HDTS HQ is located on Park Blvd. about one block
south of Hwy 62. Look for a big white tent on the
left side of the road (to the right of Coyote Corner and
directly across the street from the Park Center.) Pick
up the publication and driving map. Also don't forget
to check out the printed publication by Jonathan
Hernandez.
#8. Joshua Tree Community Center:
Patrick Jackson, "Yesterday & Tomorrow"
3:00 Saturday and 12:00 Sunday performances
From Downtown Joshua Tree ake the 29 Palms Hwyeast
and turn Left on Sunburst Ave. (3rd stoplight in Joshua
Tree). Look for the first buildings on your right, turn right on
the road with a "Sunday Bingo" sign. Also look for "Yesterday
and Tomorrow" signs. Park in the back lot and follow
signs. Shows start exactly on time, so you must arrive early.
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.
SATURDAY NIGHT:
6:00 Dinner at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace (Site # 11)
8:00 Performance by Marnie Webber and the Spirit Girls
Directions to Pappy and Harriet's:: From 29 Palms Hwy turn north at Pioneertown Road. Drive up the hill to
Pioneertown. Pappy and Harriet's will be the first adobe structure on your right.
#7 Blake Simpson's Mojave Sands (motel):
Amy and Wendy Vao's Art Swapmeet
Saturday and Sunday 12 to 5 PM
From Downtown Joshua Tree ake the 29 Palms Hwy east and
turn Right on Sunburst Ave. (3rd stoplight in Joshua Tree).
Mojave Sands is enclosed with a rusted metal fence - parking
is available in back and along side streets.
#6 Behind the Bail Bonds:
Julia Scher, "Surveillant Architectures'~ Security By Julia"
Joel Kyack, "The Greater The Goal The Deeper The Hole"
From the town of Joshua Tree drive one mile east to
the large yellow Bail Bonds Sign, turn RIGHT onto
Neptune. Drive up Neptune, road will veer LEFT.
Follow road about half a mile to the site (look for the
big rocky hill) Please do not block the turn around
loop!
is Coyote Dry Lake:
Ry Rocklin, "High/Dry" Lullabye"
5:00 Saturday afternoon
To get to Coyote Dry Lake turn off 29 Palms Hwy on
Sunfair. Drive north (away from hills) 1.8 miles to
Broadway. Turn RIGHT on Broadway and drive 1.6
miles. The pavement will turn to dirt. When you get to
he dry lake bed turn and drive LEFT (ish) about a mile
or so and look for a cluster of other cars. Plan plenty of
time to find this site as the dry lake is very large and it
may take a while to find the performance.
WONDER VALLEY LOCATIONS
#4. Jack's Place:
Jack Pierson
29 Palms proceed east on Amboy Road. (about a mile after
the big pink building with the pyramids) look out of your
right window for a drive by sign.
#3. Godwin and Pioneer:
Thom Merrick
From 29 Palms proceed east on Amboy Road for 6.5 miles.
Turn LEFTon Godwin Road, follow Godwin, a dirt road 2.5
miles to Pioneer, there is a turn around. Park in turn around
area and follow colored stakes by foot, approximately 10
minutes by foot. Important! Take water with you, be safe.
#2. Akin Family Residence:
Vosua Okon, "White Russians"
12:00 - 5:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday
From Amboy turn LEFTon Thompson Road, at.6 miles
Thompson merges with Meriwether, continue.3 miles, turn
LEFTon Mesa, .3 miles house on Right (82620 Mesa)
#1. Wonder Valley Institute of Contemporary Art:
Friday night 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM event,
All day Saturday and Sunday
From 29 Palms head east on Amboy road, drive 20 miles.
You will see a sign on the right that says"adios come again"
- make a left at first dirt road on the left after this sign.
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The Spirit Girls are group of girls who perform together ~ a band, die trag1caJly and
then return as spirits to communicate their message of emancipation. The band was
inspired in part by the American Spiritualist movement of the 1850's, which is credited
with giving women th(3ir first public voice as "perfdrmers" in this country.
The Spirit Girls have giyen several live performances pver the past few years. Most
recently The Spirit Gills have released a new CD,titl~d Forever Free, which explores
the story ofthe Spirit Girls through music and lyrics.
The Spirit Girls are: Marnie Weber: lead vocals, guitar, keyboards; Dani Tull: lead
guitar; Tamara Sussman: bass, keyboards, backing vocal's\;Debbie Spinelli: drums;
Sachiyo Yoshimoto: v}olin; April Guthrie: cello; Tanya Had~n, cello, backing vocals;
Christian Cummings: 'saw.

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High and Dry Lullaby:
Footprints scooped out of desert sands
Served to Kirby on carpet platter
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Lion
Man,
You are caretaker and nurturer, tending garden of not. You are janitor and custodian,
sweeping hallways and corridors of never ending. In blue collar and golden
mane you provide consultation and guidance to those without home. With gentle
lullabies laid upon beating eardrums of lost, you usher restless to sleep.

At the site at Andy's Gamma Gulch there is a pile of large rocks
that visitors often climb to get a better view of the valley below.
Several yards in front of this pile is another that is of a much ~I
sm'aner scale, but functions similarly as a lookout point. As visi- ~ ~
tors Iook from their spot out onto the landscape, thinking about \~
whatever they think about at such moments, they will see there ~
is a tortoise poised on the smaller rock pile, its burden weighing I~
heavily on it's back, also taking in the view and the long journey ~"""
stretched out before it. ~" '\'
~.~~
The sculpture " Scout " presents the possible scenario ~",
of a local desert tortoise's difficult seaward quest. The question K';t4
~ ...... \ of what has taken it to this point and where it will lead is up to r~,
" ~.t, the viewer to answer. ~';..:;
'\'\\.

II

"Wherefore what we found we forsook, what we did not find we kept"
-G.V.Desani
One of the common images I associate with the desert is the figure of a bearded sage, sitting
upon a rock, meditating, and giving advice to those who seek it. Upon visiting HDTS I heard
about a local hermit who lives in a concrete tent near Andy's Gamma Gulch Parcel. When
we visited him, he generously
invited us to see his high desert
outdoor home, where he's been
living for the past 27 years. His
lifestyle resembles what I have
imagined and read about sages: ~
In separation from society's
economic struggle for luxuries,
or even basic needs, he lives
off the food and some small
amenities that local people support
him with. When we talked
about my interest in the figure
of the desert sage, he suggested
we invite his sage friends to
come out and offer advice to
people. I decided to accept the
offer. Garth and his friends will
be somewhere on the property,
which is at the end of Gods Way
\
\
Love Road, North of Gamma
Gulch Way, Yucca Valley. I'llbe
meeting with them on Saturday,
November 8th and Sunday,
November 9th from Ipm to
5pm.
..
Visitors are welcome to join me
in seeking advice.
/
//

There is a quotation by the notorious scientific thinker Paul Feyerabend that I go back
I can't go on. I have some of his writings on my desk at my studio when I need them. He
one principle that can be defended under all cirCumstances and in all stages of h'
principle: anything goes." His classiC work is said to be "against method," with con
statements like, "there is not a single rule, however plausible ... that 1s not violated at s!
there are alwas-scircumstances when it is advisable not only to ignore the rule, but to adopt 1,ttl
. r
Remembering the ancient analogy between the circulation of rivers and the bloodstream altha human
body, I was thinkIDg, what then, is the desert? The absent blood would certainlv spell death or sfter:-
life. Why do I like the desert so much? Wandering around the ancient, stone hills and mountains
around my studio, I found a small cave. In the cave there were some old bone,Sand freah coyote
tracks. I found the cave by chance, and just in the nick of time, I had just scaled up a rock hill fleeing
my studio in defeat and disgust. I was on my was-back down when I stumbled. on the opening.
I've found the problem with getting to the top of the hill is that I can't stas-there. I have to go home
after while, because its hot and the problem is still waiting, back down there. The fact is, I liave
to go back down, and work, or the night will be worse. To my benefit, symbolically and practically
speaking, you can only see the entrance to the cave by descent.
Meanwhile, in my studio, at the base of the rocks, for some years I have been working on paintings
problems. Problems, in the broadest sense, like the frame, the exhibition, and the context: these
are unsettling issues. If one considers only the last hundred y'ears, it can be terrible to face.
You are looking at the future it's i.maginary, but metaphorica.l.ly,you know where the bodies
are buried, and you might have to proceed that way, it can get tough mentally and your
all alone. One day, from a low point and full of newly found frustration, I scaled the
mountain With a fresh oil painting in hand. When I arrived at the cave, I hesitated and
stepped into the mouth where the light was the strongest.
For a year or so I tried different things, and outSide on the leMes and steep walls where
there was more space, there I tried some larger canvases. The1arger works didn't necessarily
look better, rather smaller works looked odd and surprisingly new. Larger works
looked more professional in the wrong way, materialistic and over-stuffed. Also they
begged attention which seemed maligned. The search interests me: looking, finding it or
not, matters less, than looking. I have been trying related paths to this experience. The
rock informs the painted image.
The cave is too difficult to get to en masse, in this case, I will try to push the idea
of scale in another direction, opposite of the norm. The small scale work will
be presented in a large area. The painting, will be uncharacteristically
Without architectural mitigation in the vast landscape.

Vulnerabilia (Cierto desierto)
Black and white
80 pages
38x25cm

ATURDAY
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UNDAY
2:00PM
OSHUA
REE
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Mojave Viper
We talked to HOLGIEFORRESTERat her home in 29 Palms just days after her return from Argentina where
she was participating in "Estate of Panic" (airing November 19, on the SCI-FIChannel), a reality show
whose purpose according to her is to "scare the bejesus out of you while you grab for money". Apparently
she had many intimate experiences with snakes, spiders and rising waters. Nothing too far out of the ordinary
for this seasoned desert dweller.
During the past two and half years she has also participated as a roleplayer on the Marine Corps Air Ground
Combat Center at 29 Palms as part of Operation Mojave Viper. The operation, which according to USAToday
includes two working "Iraqi towns" and several hundred role-playing actors, engages marines training for
their tours in Iraq by immersing them in the rigors of the desert and the real world politics and physical
challenges of urban warfare. What goes on is not classified but is sensitive because specific tactics and
procedures could compromise the safety of the Marines and innocent Iraqis.
DD:How did you come across this job?
HF: Welllike anything else, I'm just one of those actresses that goes out for everything. In Hollywood they
were looking for actors and I went "How Strange, they are looking for actors and they are in my front yard."
I remember at the open call when they started to describe the conditions a lot of people just walked out. You
know they said the conditions would be harsh, you would be living in the desert, long days, physically strong ...
you are not going to a resort. And a lot of people right there booked, booked out. And I stuck around. I live in
the desert and I am familiar with those conditions, no problem.
DD:And what is it like to be out there?
HF: It is like if I took a sleeping bag and slept out on my property in the open desert. You know, you're going to
deal with the elements. In the winter it is going to get really cold at night ...No running water, no air-conditioning,
no heating ...it looks like two villages in a war torn third-world country. And you know you are not supposed
to break role.
DD:Has being out there and this whole experience changed your attitude towards the war and towards Iraq?
HF: Oh, totally. And toward the Middle East. Becuause on television we see such extremists. We see the terror.
Terrorists. And I meet people that..I met one that I would call the Iraqi Bob Dylan. He could cut a piece of pipe
and make a flute out of it. And he would play flute at night with the night skies. And so peaceful. And so spiritual.
that I forgot that there are people in cultures with the same kind of personalities that we have. We tend to
put everybody in one viewpoint of how we picture the extremists and forget that there are doctors and lawyers
and artists ...and people with the same kind of simpatico toward life that we have.
DD:You are there in character
so I guess you must learn a lot when things are not "on"?
HF: Exactly, Exactly because it is not a constant implosion of stimuli..of events ...because just like they would
in a real situation. something will happen and then it will calm down and then something else will break out
and then it will calm down so there is life between the events .

M~rERIALS

DD: Does your character evolve? Is it something that you work with? Does it change over time?
Or has it changed since you started it?
HF: It has totally changed because I have been pretty much a consistent character. And now it
really does feel like some of the role players have come and gone and some have been there as
long as I have and it Really begins to feel like a community you are involved with. The Familiarity.
DD: Is it like a soap opera where things go up and down?
HF: I think that I am probably good at what I do only because of my attitude. There's people that
always have a conflict. There's people that always live in crisis we know that in our own lives.
And there's people that almost seem to enjoy living in a state of chaos. And I'm a Libra and I've
always seemed to be a peacemaker. And as I've got older (I am turning 60 on October 11).
DD:Wow.Congratulations.
HF: When I was younger I could fly off the handle. I could react to things. I could kind of blow
my temper. But as I have gotten older, maybe I have become more Zen, or just I always look at
the bigger picture. I am much more able to control my emotions. take the emotions out of it. And
I learned it from my husband. He goes in. Some people go out. They burst out at others. And out
there the conditions. you know, you're hot, you're tired, you're cold, you're hungry, you're dirty,
you're exhuasted. And you know people begin to fray around the edges. But I am very proud of
myself that I have always been able to stay very diplomatic. And even in a situation like that you
can always pull in and sort of even meditate in the moment.
DD: That is part of you and you imbue your character
with that.
HF: Exactly. and I begin manifesting that I don't even realize it that I am manifesting that. I sort
of become almost an earthmother out there, you know. People seem to come to me for advice,
consulation, band-aids, scrape and bruise. I have always got the safety pin or the scotch tape or,
you know, the needle and thread.
DD:And you're in a Burka?
HF: Fully. Head to toe. Traditional dress. You'd be amazed. You put that on and someone walks
by...they could be Swedish or they could be Russian or they could be Iranian.
DD: That must be hot!
HF: Umm. Hmm. I have learned how to underdress. As least as possible ...I'm a seamstress. I
have also been a wardrobe lady so I make my own.. all that stuff hanging off there. I mostly wear
black because I don't have to match anything ...! get fabrics that are appropriate for the weather
and layer ...!have always been very clever about that. So to try and fulfill the job description ...
DD: So they don't give you one?
HF: They do. They will assign, but I like to provide my own. It is another line I don't have to
stand in. (laughter) And I am great for not having to stand in lines. I have always been really
self-sufficient.

~~~~~
/0 ~~ ~ de> ~ ~ %'¥- g~~

•

II
"The
Joshua Tree". An illustration by E. Boyd Smith, 1903