Point of Interest, or Not Finding Walter de Maria’s ‘Las Vegas Piece'

Adriana Chavez (she/her/they/them)
Point of Interest, or Not Finding Walter de Maria’s ‘Las Vegas Piece,’ 2023
Cardboard, glue, paint, trash can, trash, desert dirt, jar of pickles, performance
Courtesy of the artist

Artist statement:

We may not find it. It might be gone. Why is this so special? What am I supposed to feel? What does it mean to us now? Will we see something? Maybe. Look for right angles. Look for the bulldozer lanes. Is that a wash or a clearing? What does the compass say? Don’t get lost. Found a jar of pickles! It’s nice to be in the desert. Well, we didn’t find it. Let’s have a picnic next to the yucca!

You are Here: the Point of Interest. Go:
Five feet forward, or to the right or left or behind you, depending on which way you are facing. Or four steps if you power walk. Or three big, long steps if you’re playing The Floor Is Lava. Or approximately ten steps if your shoe size is nine and a half walking in a line like you’re on a tightrope, heel-toe, heel-toe. Or twelve steps if you’re seven years old and you wear a size one shoe. Or eight steps if you hop on one foot. Or thirteen steps if you walk on tiptoes. Or one hundred steps if you take the long route. Or an infinite amount of steps if you go around and around in circles forever. Or one step if you perform a long jump. Or no steps if you have crampy legs or choose not to go.