"Red Eyes" in Taos, New Mexico
A series of Red Eyes pop-up outdoor projections that took place in Taos, New Mexico in June 2022 during the Artist Residency program by Paseo Project.
I only had 9 days to make a series so I wanted to make sure that I worked efficiently. To execute the installations, each morning after finishing my coffee, I started driving around the Taos area to scout for possible projection locations. I captured multiple photos of each location with GPS coordinates. Upon returning to my hotel room in the afternoon, I reviewed the photos and selected the ideal location. Using Google Maps, I navigated to the selected spot and set up the projector 30 minutes before sunset. As the sun set, the white test patterns became visible, and I began mapping the image onto the facade. I completed the mapping process in 20-30 minutes, allowing it to be visible while the sky was still bright and the surroundings were visible. In some cases, I even chose to project at sunrise to take advantage of the direction of the sunlight. For these, I would wake up at 4am and head to the location to set up.
Amidst the scorpions, snakes, and bighorn sheep of the New Mexico high desert, even joined by the local police called upon by responsible local citizens who spotted the projection from far away, this was one of the most memorable projects that I have ever worked on. To me, the biggest takeaway was being out in nature and feeling overwhelmed by its power and beauty, which made me feel very small. Many thanks to Paseo Project for supporting this project!
In the edit and below I specified the GPS coordinates of the exact locations for each installation.
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
36.473599, -105.735253
Abandoned house, Carson
36.364063, -105.765718
El Taoseno
36.389350, -105.583259
Water tank
36.372085, -105.571284
Rift Valley Trailhead
36.323657, -105.703781
The Alley Cantina
36.407663, -105.574915
Alien water tower
36.4127528,-105.5696806
Taos Net
36.38755,-105.5879611
Twin water towers in El Prado
36.4576,-105.5979