One Magic Stack

¡Katie B Funk!, Darrien Miller
"One Magic Stack"
2023

Located roughly thirty minutes southwest of Las Vegas and adjacent to I-15, Ugo Rondinone's "Seven Magic Mountains" features seven totems painted in retina-searingly-colorful hues. These totems range from 30-35 feet in height, both commanding the visual landscape and drawing the viewer's attention to their own body in space.

For our Mapping Project, we wanted to emphasize the fact that Ugo's work was not included on the 1989 Jean, Nevada USGS Topographic Map we were given to alter. This is due to the fact that the work of "Seven Magic Mountains" was not installed until 2016. In addition to this differing timeline - and unlike the intention of most Land Art works - "Seven Magic Mountains" is technically a temporary installation. Originally slated for viewing from 2016 - 2018, high visitor volume and international attention propelled the work to a renewed lease of the land, now slated through 2027.

Creating "One Magic Stack" emphasizes "Seven Magic Mountains'" absence by utilizing the back and blank side of the map itself. We chose to use the same neon color scheme, emphasizing the various hues to glow from the back with slight projection from the wall. The piece is stacked "in order", as if you the viewer were standing in front of "Seven Magic Mountains" while facing east. The space it commands is a small one, but the colorful echo radiates onward.

Seven Magic Mountains (2016 - )
USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map
JEAN, NV