under/development
Dream Clinic Project Space [_]
Sep 26 – Oct 9, 2025
Columbus, OH
Beyond the edge of the burrow sit rows and rows and rows of stacked lumber, fiberglass insulation, and other building equipment that rests alongside the edges of the chain link fence. Surrounding the land as far as the eye could see, the transition from farmland to luxury housing began years ago in a series of legislative battles for permits, zoning, water rights, and employment. No one looked beneath or below since the abstracted rectangle of a legal “plot” assumes ownership from the bedrock to the sky.
An ongoing drone of cars emanates from the nearby interstate, only to be interrupted by the sudden jolts of heavy machinery and erratic piercings of nail guns and hammers. The sounds of bulldozers and extractors shifting hardened topsoil to pour concrete shake the earth, causing a vibration that chases out whoever had lived there before. Beneath the surface, remnants left from past inhabitants lay in wait: food scraps, small pieces of soft materials used for temporary bedding, and piles of sand and rock that had been pushed further back into the burrows. Likely, former inhabitants moved on to other burrows closer to better resources, spaces that still have access to water, bugs, and vegetation.
It’s possible to witness the invertebrates scurry through the dimly lit spaces once occupied to make their homes, away from the piercing hot sun. Yet the erratic shaking from heavy machinery presents a less to be desired locale for continuous habitation. During monsoon season, following the rains, these cavities hold water that later seeps into the earth’s crevices, inviting growth and other occupants to emerge in the months to come (that is, if there still are cavities below the surface that have not yet been pushed down by equipment).
To say these spaces were empty before (human) development is to devalue their worth in favor of other structures. Though these burrows are not always occupied, to assume these structures are abandoned is to dismiss the vibrancy of the desert, to deny other forms of life the capacity to utilize what has already been provided. These vacant spaces are necessary openings nonhumans need to thrive, illuminating the seasonal cycles, migrations, and shifts that texture the passage of time in the desert. Subtle, yet present, the opening of a burrow is a portal to other forms of value, ones built on mutual forms of support, resource distribution, and care.