CAMDEN HARDY ↵

Expedition

The Pantano Wash is a dry river that occasionally carries flood water north through the eastern side of Tucson, Arizona, feeding into the Rillito River. It serves many functions, such as a temporary living space for transients and a place for recreation. Floods in the Pantano Wash are violent; the water often forces evidence of human presence downstream. Such a disruption of the timeline renders interpretation of this place's cultural history extremely difficult, if not impossible.

On September 17th, 2010, I embarked on an expedition of the Pantano Wash. The mission was to walk all 22 miles of the dry riverbed, upstream, in an attempt to gain a better understanding of this socially charged space through first-hand experience. Photographic artifacts, which represent the end of one mile and the beginning of the next, were created using pinhole cameras and a portable processing tent. Discarded items were found along the way and cataloged into lists. Together, they offer a contemplative look at many of the unanswered questions that arose regarding the implications of human presence in the wash.

The resulting solo exhibition included the photographic artifacts, a video of their creation, lists of objects found, journal excerpts, the pinhole cameras and processing tent used, and the shoes worn throughout the expedition.

Surveillance footage

The surf board on the ground to my left is an oddly appropriate way to start this journey.

3 shopping carts
1 shoe
1 desk chair
1 half surf board

The sand was deep, and it was very hot. And I had to double back to the car. Why didn't I plan this better?

6 plastic cups/water bottles
3 shopping carts
2 pot lids
1 red golf ball
1 spatula
1 cinder block
1 dishwasher
1 vacuum cleaner
1 empty Christmas cookie can
1 garbage bag full of teddy bears

Camp site. What an unpleasant place for a person to live.

4 water bottles
3 shopping carts
2 sleeping bags
1 tent, assembled
1 plastic cup
1 unidentified covered object
1 computer monitor
1 Budweiser can
1 green oil drum
1 basketball
1 mini Jack Daniels bottle

I've come across a single, bare footprint. Just one.

4 shopping carts
3 water bottles
2 beer cans
2 white ceramic plates, broken
1 shoe
1 hub cap
1 tire
1 milk crate
1 red metal lunchbox
1 empty vodka bottle
1 sleeping bag
1 camp site
1 gold leaf-shaped bowl
1 telephone wire
1 bare human footprint

I suddenly found myself in a staring contest with an abnormally large bobcat looking for food. I lost.

11 shopping carts
4 water bottles
3 beer cans
3 mattresses
3 couches
2 pillows
1 tire
1 bottle grapefruit scented soap

My first attempt at processing prints in the field was a miserable failure.

13 beer cans
6 water bottles
6 mattresses
3 shopping carts
2 shirts
2 pairs of pants
1 pair of gym shorts
1 shoe
1 "full-blown" camp site
1 Folgers coffee can
1 shotgun shell
1 rusted car
1 side view mirror
1 tire
1 Family Lawyer study software disc

"There's a full-blown camp site over there with like four mattresses".

2 "big-ass" plastic tubes
1 plastic bag full of weeds
1 empty sandbag

One shoe. Why are shoes always by themselves rather than in pairs?

2 cinder blocks
1 light pole, formerly standing at about 60 degrees, snapped in a flood
1 inverted car, almost completely buried in dry mud
1 windshield shade
1 picnic bench
1 possible grave site

We found a rectangular hole that seems as though it was dug for the purpose of burying an adult human body. Strange, especially so close to a park.

1 car floor mat
1 large wooden spoon
1 unidentified rusty metal object
1 washing machine top

My companion tells me that these tire tracks are likely from Border Patrol vehicles. Apparently they drive through after a storm looking for fresh footprints.

4 chairs
2 nondescript metal objects
1 motor
1 sewer grate
1 pink blanket

As we approached the pink bundle, various disturbing scenarios played out in our heads. What's the proper protocol if this turns out to be a dead baby?

1 party site, 14 beer cans spread outward from fire pit
1 cinder block
1 large metal sheet
1 blue, rusted metal object
1 orange duffel bag
1 truck bumper
1 teddy bear paw
1 shirt
1 plastic pipe
1 rusted metal bucket, unsuitable for pinhole camera
1 gallon jug of what appears to be urine
1 metal rake, no handle

Why on Earth would they bottle their urine?

4 unidentified rusty metal objects
3 cinder blocks
1 tire
1 tarp

A vast sinkhole stood between the car and ourselves. After a brief discussion about whether to climb down, we began our trek around it.

20 cinder blocks
1 blue rope
1 towel

Surrounded by the angry sound of bees, I began to wonder if I might be allergic to their stings. Hell of a day to be by myself. This was the first time I had actually felt unsafe in the wash.

No access

I'm trying to walk around the sand company's fenced-off piece of the wash. The black bull in the middle of the path is not amused. No one is going to believe that I was nearly charged by a bull; of course, no one had come along to verify my story...

5 shotgun shells
2 tires
2 water bottles
1 beer can
1 license plate with puzzling slogan: "Real trucks donÕt need spark plugs"
1 "No trespassing" sign, facing the opposite direction of our walk

My cohort has found, and claimed, an island.

1 plastic tub missing its bottom
1 beer can
1 water bottle
1 shotgun shell

A field of grass in the middle of the wash. This is one of the most surprising thing I've encountered so far.

1 child-sized shoe

We had to trespass, blaze a trail through the bushes, and then scale a 15-foot ledge to get into the wash. It took some effort, but we were triumphant.

No items found

I forgot to bring my camera. It's an embarrassing day to be a photographer.

No items found

This was a rather uneventful mile.

No items found

Someone has been living here in a shelter made from wooden palettes.

1 plastic pipe
1 black tarp
1 tire
1 camp site

Mission accomplished.

1 golf ball