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High Desert Test SitesAndrea Zittel
This episode features High Desert Test Sites, a non-profit organization co-founded by Andrea Zittel that supports immersive experiences and exchanges between artists, critical thinkers, and general audiences.
In late-2014, High Desert Test Sites (HDTS), known for hosting events in far-flung corners of the American southwest, programmed a day of talks and installations at the site of a former health resort in Zzyzx, California. Aurora Tang, managing director of HDTS and curator for the event, selected Zzyzx because it provokes a sense of discovery and exploration.
“It’s all about water,” adds Zittel, “in the sense that being in the desert is only possible because of water.” In addition to off-site programming, HDTS owns over 100 acres of land near Joshua Tree, California where they allow artists to insert their work directly into the desert landscape.
More information and creditsCredits
Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producers: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Ian Forster. Camera: Zach Voytas. Sound: Ian Forster. Editor: Morgan Riles. Artwork Courtesy: Alyse Emdur & Sant Khalsa. Additional Photography Courtesy: High Desert Test Sites & Andrea Zittel. Special Thanks: Rob Fulton, Aurora Tang & Vanesa Zendejas. Theme Music: Peter Foley.
Art21 Exclusive is supported, in part, by 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.
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Andrea Zittel was born in 1965 in Escondido, California, and currently lives and works in Joshua Tree, CA. She received a BFA in painting and sculpture in 1988 from San Diego State University and an MFA in sculpture in 1990 from the Rhode Island School of Design. Zittel works at the intersections of design, art, and architecture to create a body of work that questions human nature and our construction of meaning, values, and social norms. Through textiles, furniture, and installation, the artist places self-imposed systems, rules, and restrictions in order to imagine alternative ways of living.
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