Documented artwork / temporary neon earthwork
I AM
Credit as documented: Tavares Strachan
Tavares Strachan created I AM for Desert X in 2017. Working with a team, he arranged 290 excavated craters across the desert and lined their edges with neon tubing. At ground level the lights appeared as dispersed glowing openings; from above their arrangement resolved into the title's words. The artist connects the phrase to Vedic thought and to questions of selfhood, landscape and one's relationship with the universe.
Already working on a project?
Adds directly to your existing saved project and keeps its brief intact.Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.
At a glance
- Year / version
- 2017
- Materials
- neon tubing, excavated desert sediment
- Documented setting
- outdoor
- Dimensions
- 365 × 295 × 3 ft (artist also gives 111 × 90 × 1 m).
- Dimensions apply to
- Artist-reported installation envelope; metric figures rounded; planning area is separately attributed.
- Availability
- Unconfirmed
Places & versions
Installation history
Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.
2017
Rancho Mirage, California, Desert X
- City
- Rancho Mirage
- State / region
- CA
- Country
- United States
- Event
- Desert X 2017
Installation details checked 2026-10-17.
Materials and construction
Desert X identifies the site as Rancho Mirage, while the artist describes it broadly as outside Palm Springs. The artist gives a 365-by-295-by-3-foot envelope. Desert X's 100,000-square-foot figure belongs to the planning statement and is not substituted for an as-built measurement.
From a reference to your project
Keep the idea.
Shape the brief.
Save this reference to your shortlist while you explore. Review your selection, then carry the references you choose into a commissioning brief for your site, audience, timing and open questions.
Your shortlist is saved on this device. Saving a reference does not contact the artist or reserve a work. Participation, availability, price and site suitability need confirmation.
Plan the next step
Sources
- desertx.org ↗ · Checked 2026-10-17
- isolatedlabs.com ↗ · Checked 2026-10-17