New Mexico 2022

I took a trip recently with my friends Lisa and Steven to join them on part of a longer trip they were taking in the Southwest. I met up with them in Albuquerque after spending the first day in the city by myself. It was a workday after all, so I mainly stayed at the hotel, but I did get out a bit to explore the city.

The main reason for the trip was to experience the Lighting Field, a massive land art installation outside of Quemado, NM by the artist Walter de Maria. The Lightning Field is a series of stainless steel rods placed in an array one mile by one kilometer. The tops of the rods are all in the same plane, meaning if you were theoretically able to place a (large) piece of paper on top, it would set at level atop the rods. In order to visit the Lightning Field, you have to make reservations in advance and it involves spending the night on the property so that you can explore the piece over the course of a day. Since the artwork is such an experiential piece, photography is not allowed. I did get some great images of the landscape though.

We arrived in Quemado, which is a very small town with only a couple streets. The artwork is managed by DIA and we piled into their off-road vehicle to have them take us to the Lighting Field. In any other circumstance this would be quite troubling, but for the sake of art it was no concern.

The cabin on the property was rustic but well appointed. The kitchen was stocked with home made vegetarian enchiladas, snacks and all the basic needs you could think of for a single night. We wandered through the fields at first in a large group, then broke into smaller groups. I did a bit of sketching with the hopes of watercoloring the drawings later.

As we were eating the dinner provided (enchiladas were so tasty) we noticed a strange light in the western sky. With the current state of the world it was a bit troubling to see, but we later realized it was more than likely a SpaceX launch we were seeing from all the way in California. It was a real sight to see, especially in the context of the open landscape with the last bits of sunlight glinting off the lighting rods.

While there was no lightning during our visit (actually very rare since it's in the desert) we were able to see so many stars, planets and other celestial wonders. It is amazing how bright the night sky can be when there is such little light pollution.

After our stay at the Lighting Field we had a fun night exploring more of Albuquerque. We took the aerial tram to the top of Sandia Peak, overlooking the city.

Before leaving New Mexico we walked along the Rio Grande and enjoyed the last bit of southwestern fare before heading back home.

This was the first time I had spent any real amount of time in New Mexico, I had only driven rode it before. It is a beautiful state and one that I would love to go back to. Maybe Santa Fe next time?