HDTS 2013
Smooth Operator - American Tourism Viewing Deck Van
The Smooth Operator draws from historical precedents of American road trip culture and non-static architecture, offering new function to road travel. The project is based within the body of a Ford Econoline van and transforms from a personal living environment (camper van) into a public viewing platform.
It is an instrument for place-making through visual and physical interaction with its surroundings. The shell pulls apart and folds open and a membrane canopy structure radiates from the van’s volume, creating a uniform horizon for viewing distinct sites across the American landscape. As the road trip progresses, an accumulation of ephemera, stories, and other documentation will be preserved and presented as a record of life on the road.
Saturday–Sunday, October 12–13, 2013
Coyote Dry Lake, Joshua Tree, California
Tuesday–Wednesday, October 15–16, 2013
Crown King, Arizona
Friday, October 18, 2013
Bluewater Lake State Park, New Mexico
HDTS 2013
OCTOBER 12, 2013 - OCTOBER 19, 2013
High Desert Test Sites hits the road for a full week of experimental art and exploration, from Joshua Tree to Albuquerque!
HDTS 2013, the ninth program in a series of free ranging and ever evolving contemporary art events, expands our range and depth to take in everything from Joshua Tree, California to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Roughly 60 new projects will take place over an entire week, during which artists and audience alike will traverse over 700 miles of desert roads to check out the new work and explore the hidden gems and diverse desert communities along this spectacular stretch of the Southwest.
Project sites include: Amboy Crater, Arcosanti, Area 66 (Yucca), Art Queen (Joshua Tree), Bluewater Lake State Park, El Malpais National Monument, El Rancho Hotel (Gallup), Giant Rock (Landers), Hill Top Motel (Kingman), Magdalena Ridge Observatory (Socorro), Mill Restaurant (Crown King), Montessa Park (Albuquerque), Palms Restaurant and Saloon (Wonder Valley), Petrified Forest National Park, Octopus Car Wash (Albuquerque), Pink Post Office Projects (Wonder Valley), Tamarind Institute (Albuquerque), Warehouse 1-10 (Magdalena), in addition to our regular HDTS sites.
The week’s festivities include a Saturday night opening dinner (first-come-first-served) at The Palms in Wonder Valley October 12, with musical performances by The Sibleys and The Renderers.
A zine-style publication, designed by Brad Hudson Thomas, with original texts by James Trainor and Eden Solas, will accompany the event.