thenorthroom
thenorthroom :: a collaborative project in installation, speculative proposals, performance, and agricultural experimentation based from a 250-acre site in West Texas. The project ran from 2004-2010.
THE CENTERS OF THE USA
The center of the contiguous continental US is found by determining the balance point of a plane of uniform thickness in the shape of the continental US. These geographic centers attest to a persistent need to find the center point of a political unit, in order to point to "the heart," "the middle," or "the hub" of a place.
BUTTER IN THE MAIL: EXPERIMENTS IN AN EPISTOLARY ECONOMY
essay published in bracket [on farming], 2010
METES AND BOUNDS
A 3-week intensive workshop and seminar led by thenorthroom at Mildred's Lane, exploring the principles and performativity of plane table surveying through boundary walks, archival searches at the Office of Records and Deeds, sighting, note-taking, and measuring through narration.
FORECLOSURE
Sculptural installation on the condition of impasse and double-bind in the American housing crisis.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Combinations of the five most purchased lighting fixtures and flooring materials at Home Depot represent a framework for the American dream at the end of a housing boom.
SUCH IS OUR PLEASURE
16 mm film loop of digital reanimation. One account of the utopian impulse–Le Corbusier’s Plan for a City of Three Million, a project that has become iconic of both the visions and failures of the modernist moment.
PROJECT :: FARM
A series of investigations, installations, and events located on a 250 acre organic farm in West Texas. The farm is located in the Texas Panhandle, in a region whose settlement pattern, infrastructure, and industry reflect the influence of large-scale agriculture.
THE POINT OF BEGINNING
An historic itinerary of the Initial Points of the Contiguous United States. Within millions of square miles of gridded lands of the Rectangular Survey System, there exist 32 distinct markers or "initial points" that serve as the zero-point for individual survey campaigns. This travel brochure tabulates each of these Points of Beginning along with driving directions, latitude/longitude designations, surveyors' field notes, and a history of the Rectangular Survey System.
100 KITES
100 orange kites launched in a 10x10 grid and left to fly for the span of an entire day. Staked to the ground, the kites flew for over 8 hours relying on the continuous West Texas wind and the vigilance of participants.
HARVEST
Interpretive documentation of the entire cotton harvest cycle projected on a billboard in the same field from which the crops were harvested. ‘Harvest’ screening highlights the spectacle and performance of agricultural rhythms, bringing together farmers, artists, and passersby on Texas State Highway 114.