Chronicles from the edge of the world

These photographs give a glimpse into the oneiric world between nature, art and abandonment that is the Bombay Beach Biennale, which took place last week on the Salton Sea in California.

Only artists and volunteers can participate, and exact running dates are never revealed until the very last moment. For the second year, Domus went to visit this tiny place in the Imperial Valley that sits on the shores of a stunningly-wide toxic lake in front of the Joshua Tree National Park.

With its visionary artists and vibrant local community, what the founders refer to as a “renegade celebration of art, music and philosophy” took place secretly over two days, in the festival’s fourth edition. The biennale was founded by Tao Ruspoli, Stefan Ashkenazy and Lily Johnson White in 2015 and it relates intimately with the inhabitants and its spaces, mostly abandoned housing, vacant lots and decaying shoreline.

As usual, installations came in a wide variety of forms, from the striking revamp of real airplanes to beach levitation performances, including kinetic art, architectural installations, photographs, videos, sculptures and immersive environments. Opposing happens at venues such as the Burning Man, here pieces are meant to stay put and sow a creative seed in the hypnotising town of Bombay Beach.

Event:
Bombay Beach Biennale
When:
some time in March
Year:
2019

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