“The
A-Z Wagon Stations are a series of prototypes that we are
developing at A-Z West in Joshua Tree, California as part
of an ongoing investigation of human desires and the social
construction of needs.
After living in the desert for six years, I have come to
believe that we drawn here because each of us is looking
for some version of personal freedom. The original pioneering
spirit of the "frontier" was based on autonomy
and self-sufficiency as the prerequisites of personal freedom.
But I now think that it is more true, that in our own society,
we find small forms of personal liberties by shrinking down
to “slip between the cracks” of larger systems
and authorities-- I call this phenomenon “Small Liberties.”
Instead of building big ranches and permanent homesteads,
today's independence seekers prefer small portable structures,
which evade the regulatory control of bureaucratic restrictions
such as building and safety codes, or the jurisdiction of
the National Park Authorities and the Bureau of Land Management.
The prototype for the A-Z Wagon Station is inspired by two
different generations of "wagons." The covered
wagons used by the original settlers of the West, and the
station wagon of the 20th Century which provides just the
minimum space needed to create privacy and comfort for its
occupants. To date, we have built 18 Wagon Stations which
now dot the land surrounding my house at A-Z West, and I
have invited friends and collaborators who frequently visit
to customize their own personal Stations. The Stations reflect
the qualities that I feel create independence for the owner
and user: compactness, adaptability and transportability.
Their compact, enclosed shape is durable, can be closed
and locked up when not in use, and can be camouflaged to
hide in covert locations. Although the Wagon Station doesn’t
have wheels, it can be partially disassembled and packed
into more remote or difficult to reach locations.”
- Andrea Zittel
back
to A-Z Wagon Stations
|
