Building 1 / Artifact of the Astral Valley
The Artifact of the Astral Valley is a fictional piece inspired by time spent in the New Mexican landscape, where the land feels alive, conscious, and touched by others that came before. The piece, an ancient and overgrown contraption, is found by the participant. Driven by their natural curiosity, they are encouraged to learn more about the technological relic, unveiling a glimpse of a narrative of the civilization that may have developed it. Through image, sound, and the juxtaposition between the natural, the mechanical, and the digital, the work reminds audiences of the symbiotic relationship between their current lives, nature, and the past. In doing so it hints at a larger storyline that distorts our beliefs of the present, past, and natural world.