Having never been in the United States, Sophie met the Wild West with openness and bravery. She was provided with simple provisions for survival (a pit-house dug down to bedrock, a compost toilet, candles, drinking water, and a propane cook stove) and our eager company. Sophie brought with her a tiny rucksack, a wicked sense of humor, a calmness of spirit, a video camera, and an inquisitive mind. Our friend Bob took her under his wing, and showed Sophie the nuances of northern New Mexico – hot springs, Indian feast days, and the art of basket making.

During her month long stay, Sophie helped us to see the beauty in mundane actions, cooked some mean Thai peanut sauce, gave us awesome feedback, new perspectives, and an appreciation of urine. We can’t wait to see what emerges from her time at PLAND!

The Topographia Collective spent a couple nights at PLAND, beginning their serial residency. They are learning the lay of the land – by listening with radio transmitters to tectonic movement, divining for water thousands of feet beneath the rocky soil, and pacing off property measurements.

The Collective was our first houseguests – sleeping among newly erected posts, built the first fire in our fire circle, cooked the first meal on the land, and helped clarify the pioneering spirit and enthusiasm that is inherent in PLAND. The combination of Topographia’s expertise and ambition, and the burgeoning nature of PLAND is thrilling!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2010
Contact: Erin Elder
pland.info@gmail.com

NEW INITIATIVE PROCLAIMS:

PRACTICE LIBERATING ART THROUGH NECESSARY DISLOCATION!
www.itspland.org

TAOS, NEW MEXICO – Announcing the formal launch of PLAND, an off-the-grid residency program that supports the development of experimental and research-based projects in the context of the Taos mesa.  PLAND was conceived of and founded in July 2009, when creative trio Erin Elder, Nina Elder, and Nancy Zastudil banded together to acquire a small parcel of land near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Rio Grande Gorge. The arid plot is currently void of amenities such as water and electricity, with terrain defined by sage brush, chamisa, and breath-taking vistas of open sky. The region is home to alternative communities including the Taos Pueblo, several Earthship developments, and a scattering of off-the-grid homesteaders.

The three founders describe PLAND as:

“A program that focuses on open-ended projects that facilitate collaboration, experimentation, and hyper-local engagement. We do not hold expectations about prescribed outcomes. We privilege process over product. We believe artists can do amazing things when supported and encouraged in new contexts. We believe that no context exists like that of the Taos mesa.

We find our inspiration in a legacy of pioneers, entrepenuers, homesteaders, artists, and other counterculturalists who – through both radical and mundane activities – reclaim and reframe a land-based notion of the American Dream.”

During Summer 2010, PLAND will host a motley crew of thinkers and doers in a series of work parties, idea-testing workshops, and inaugural project-based residencies in order to transform the land into a more inhabitable outpost while challenging artists to create, experiment, and produce their own work within this unique context. These activities are funded in part by The Idea Fund and supported by the hard work of students at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.