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THE WALTON PROJECT

The Walton Project (2013), site-specific 7-day research project at Turkey Springs, Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona

High Desert Test Sites 13, Joshua Tree, CA

As part of High Desert Test Sites 2013, curated by Andrea Zittel, Dave Hickey, Libby Lumpkin, and Aurora Tang, the GWC, Investigators team established a base camp at the exact coordinates that Arizona resident and former logger Travis Walton, whose memoir Fire in the Sky was the basis for the eponymous 1993 film, alleges he was abducted by a UFO in 1975. Field research included taking soil samples, star viewing, temporary installations, interviews with locals, performances, field recordings, and more. At the end of the week-long investigation, we presented our findings in a lecture at the Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. This project was supported in part by the Oregon Arts Commission and the Regional Arts and Culture Council. The Walton Project now exists as a 60-minute experimental documentary film.