The Wildēornes / The Wild Place

The Wildēornes (The Wild Place) is an exploratory site-specific project to reconnect visitors with the natural fluctuating rhythms and uncertainty of life.

Over a decade ago I designed and built an off-grid cabin, outhouse, and garden in the western Catskills of New York State. Modeled on the footprint of Thoreau’s Walden Pond cabin, the one-room cabin stands without modern electricity or running water at the edge of meadow, stream, and acres of woods. It is a refuge from the city and a place of joy, heartbreak, and renewal. Often noted by friends and colleagues as my 20-year art project for its unlimited opportunities for iteration, the wild place is where I go to create, observe, and experience nature in raw detail: life and death and everything in between. (more..)

Here one can watch the sunset over the mountains, visit the outhouse while serenaded by the morning bird chorus, hear the bubbling seasonal stream and wild coyote calls while drifting off to sleep, become immersed in the spectacular firefly light show, witness a dark night sky exploding with stars and planets, pick abundant wild berries and apples, listen to the deafening sounds of summer crickets and spring peepers, and explore the rambling woods, wetlands, and open wildflower meadows. You might see porcupine, deer, numerous bird species, bunnies, groundhog, chippies, squirrels, frogs, snakes, monarchs and other butterflies and moths, and insects of all kinds including crickets, praying mantis, and grasshoppers.

Over the years I have hosted rewilding stays for visiting friends and family, but I have struggled to find ways to share this large-scale installation widely. In the spirit of the naturalist’s retreat, I offer the experience to others seeking refuge from the anxiety of contemporary life; to encourage quiet reflection and renew connections to the rhythms of the natural world.

Weekend visits are available by invitation and by application.