Andrea Zittel – Lay of My Land

Exhibition catalogue no. 43
No. of pages: 160, color, richly illustrated
Binding: hard cover
Editorial direction: Anja Paquin
Editor: Jane Michael
Art director: Cilly Klotz

Design and layout: SOFAROBOTNIK, Augsburg & Munich
Language: English
Year: 2011
Publisher: Prestel
ISBN trade edition: 978-3-7913-5153-7 
ISBN museum edition: 978-3-7913-6373-8

EXCERPT

A conversation between Andrea Zittel & Richard Julin

(…) Andrea and Richard are walking around the parcel
Richard: The “Wagon Stations” that we are going to bring to Magasin 3, they spent around eight years out here, right?
Andrea: I think the whole project was ten years, so yes, eight years on this parcel sounds about right.
Richard: When I was here in the fall and we discussed the “Wagon Stations,” you were saying that this was the right time to remove them. Another winter out here and they would be destroyed. They’ve lived a life and have a certain something that is hard to describe: they look vital instead of worn down.
Andrea: Exactly. When I see some of my earlier pieces that don’t have this residue of a life well lived (or hard lived), they seem so dead and lifeless. As we discussed, the seven “Wagon Stations” that are the most lived in, are going to be shipped to Magasin 3 and seven new “Wagon Stations” here will replace them at A–Z West. Oh, over here is where I’m going to build the outdoor kitchen. My land ends right around there. Originally I was going to build the kitchen closer to the house because it would be easier to get water to it. But we realized it’s really nice being back here in the wash, in the middle of the “Wagon Stations.”
Richard: Your plan is to create a situation here where one can live in the “Wagon Station” area for some time.

Andrea: I want to create a central meeting-cooking-hanging out area for people staying in the “Wagon Stations” so that they can use them for extended periods of time. The units are great in the evening and nighttime because they are so small. I want to make a big shaded area with some seating and a refrigerator, and with a sink and water for drinking and cleaning up.
Richard: Are you also going to create a bathroom and a shower?
Andrea: The bathroom will either go next to the outdoor kitchen, or will be nested into these rocks somewhere. We’ll probably just do a solar shower. It’ll be very simple. And composting toilets.
Richard: So, the “Wagon Stations”: how did that whole project start?
Andrea: The “Wagon Stations” first came about when I created the High Desert Test Sites. We had artists coming out here to do projects, and because everything is self-funded there is no money to cover the cost of hotel rooms. So I was trying to come up with accommodations for people. One of my first ideas was to build a big bunkhouse and I ran into the problems with building and safety that we’ve been talking about before. I then became interested in what kind of structures I could do without having to get permits.
Out here you can build a portable — a 10×10 foot structure — without having to pull a permit. I’ve been experimenting with different structures that fit those criteria. (…)