Station to Staion Train Stops in Raton
By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Traveling by train from New York to California is an artist-driven public art project that arrived in Raton just before 3:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
Station to Station: A Nomadic Happening, the newest project from artist Doug Aitken, is described as a “liquid platform for artistic experimentation that connects artists, musicians, and cultural icons with diverse communities for a series of interventions and site-specific happenings.” The train is traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific, making nine stops along the way in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, each time for a one-night only live event. The trip will last about three weeks during September.
The artist-driven public art project is made possible by the Levi’s brand. Jimmy Everett, Levi’s spokesman on the trip, said the trip fit well with their current ad campaign that shows Levi dressing the pioneers of today as they dressed the original pioneers.
Marisa Wayne, public relations person for this trip, explained some of the things going on in the cars during the trip from the recording studio to the film crew who is working on a documentary for the trip. In the Levi car Jimmy Everett talked about the 1901 Underwood that had been electronicized to make tweets on Twitter from the train. Users use an armband to tie the tweet to their account. There is also a 1953 Gibson ES-125 guitar that is tied to Soundcloud and an old film camera for Instagram.
The next stop on the trip for the train is Lamy where the artist and musicians will disembark and travel to Santa Fe for what is described as a happening. The following is from the Station to Station press release explaining the happenings.
Each happening will feature five Nomadic Sculptures created by Kenneth Anger, Urs Fisher, Liz Glynn, Carsten Höller, and Ernesto Neto. The artists were asked to envision a yurt (a portable tent-like dwelling traditionally used by nomads in Central Asia). The Nomadic Sculptures range from Höller’s yurt pierced with holes that visitors can throw Frisbees through, to Glynn’s creation of the universe that will evolve at each stop.
Every happening will also include a procession organized by Meschac Gaba—twelve participants wearing different African headdresses will walk among the public as they enter the venue. At each stop a different flag created by Lawrence Weiner will be raised. Kathryn Andrew envisioned a poster for each city—the poster will have an image of one randomly chosen person, and that poster will become the “face” of the happening at each stop.
Additionally, at each stop the Levi’s® brand will create and curate yurts, designed as an intimate gallery-like setting where local artists will be designing and crafting new products in real time. A tribute to the Levi’s® brand’s “Makers” program, the Levi’s® yurts will celebrate local artisan products. Artists featured include Folk Fibers, Cobra Boots, Chimayo, and Junkyard Jeans.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Santa Fe Farmer’s Market Pavilion, Santa Fe, NM
Station to Station will merge with this desert landscape to create a unique happening. Performers include Cat Power, The Handsome Family, Nite Jewel, THEESatisfaction, and others to be announced.
