Gold King & Associates
Gold King & Associates takes the familiar form of a real estate sign, implying that the land it occupies might be for sale. Yet, when a viewer calls the number displayed (720.281.9199), they are met not with a sales pitch, but with a voice, reading a poem, quote, or excerpt drawn from literature, personal writing/reflection, or oral story.
Each recording reflects on themes such as environmental change, urban expansion, land use, overdevelopment, colonization, and the complex relationships between people and place.
At the conclusion of the message, callers are invited to respond and leave their own reflections, thoughts, or stories. These responses are archived as audio recordings and transcribed, forming an evolving document of collective voices contemplating our shared responsibility to the land.
History
Gold King refers to the Gold King Mine wastewater spill from 2015 which caused the toxic release of wastewater into the Animas River watershed in. The event was a devastating environmental disaster that highlighted the need for greater accountability and responsibility in resource management. The spill not only polluted the water but also affected the livelihoods of the people who rely on it, such as farmers, ranchers, and indigenous communities. The incident underscored the urgent need for effective environmental regulations, which prioritize the protection of natural resources and public health over the interests of corporations and private property owners.
Animas River, Colorado, 2015
Location 1: 5 Points, Denver Colorado
Audio Activated: January 2023:
Cycling”, written and read by Deborah H. Sussman. Deborah H. Sussman is a writer and editor based in Tempe, Arizona.
Location 2: Villa Park, Denver Colorado
Audio Activated: February, 2023:
Michael Lundgren is and Artist whose work draws on a deep current in photographic tradition that takes the natural world as the seat of transcendence. He has two books published with @radius.books, is a Guggenheim Fellow and he’s based in the Western United States.
Location 3: Villa Park, Denver Colorado
Audio Activated: March, 2023:
Raven Payment (Ojibwe/Kanien’kehá:ka) is a storyteller at heart. A civil construction professional by trade, she is a passionate advocate for Native rights, a multimedia artist, Co-Chair of the Denver American Indian Commission, and member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Task Force of Colorado.
Location: The Yard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 2022
The Yard is a site for public art located, quite literally, in a front yard in Colorado Springs. This is a project space run by artists, Ben Kinsley and Jessica Langley. Coordinates: 38.847596,-104.799216