Plus 3 Ferris Wheels

Clearing the Site, 2004
Running Time: 1:34 mins
Michael Gambill - Gallup New Mexico

On the summer solstice of 2004, I concluded the Entropic Reversal Project, which began in February 2004. The project included clearing all the debris out of an abandoned, crumbling house in Yatahey, New Mexico, which boarders the Navajo Indian Reservation. By replacing close to 1000 cubic feet of soil and burned roofing material with fill dirt and compost, I was able to grow and sustain a species of flower native to Arizona and New Mexico.

The piece was about creating an equilibrium between the crumbling walls, the tragedy of a collapsing roof and the growth of new life in the space. I felt the need to create an almost anonymous gift or offering to the structure, to perhaps ease the weighty feeling of suffering that is embedded into the site.

During the five month project, I collected video and created “Clearing the Site”, which is a testament to the process and serves as part of the only documentation of the entire project.