Print design
An unconventional map of South New Mexico that unfolds hidden treasures of delightfully vibrant and electrifying junk. Yes, junk. Are you hallucinating? Well, I don't know what you get up to. You wouldn't be the only one. South New Mexico is described as many things. The underbelly of the state. Forgotten and abandoned. A vast space that expands for miles without a trace of humanity. Sun-bleached towns of trailers, ranches, and decrepit single story homes. Aliens? Some believe so. They could be hallucinating too. SNM is a unique place that might not have the glamorous effect of the northern part of the state, but has a mystical quality. Explore SNM with this map, and discover the hidden gems in the vast open desert.
The map is designed to be an interactive experience, inspiring discovery, curiosity and new perceptions of the abandoned. Digital collages of found materials are tucked away in the folds waiting to be discovered and spark excitement.
When I say home, I mean this town, but I also mean all of Southern New Mexico, the cities and villages down here spread out but stuffed into the same fever dream.
Joshua Wheeler, Acid West.
You will only ever see a saguaro in New Mexico when you are high on drugs. They do not grow here, but no one believes us. They are your icon of the West. For us they are signposts of a myth we didn't make, tentacles of the hallucination.
Joshua Wheeler, Acid West.
When you hear I'm from New Mexico, you may have stories of Albuquerque and Santa Fe and Taos, the famous towns up north. There is no easy way to explain that here in the underbelly, south of the 34th parallel, which cuts the state in half, things are different.
Joshua Wheeler, Acid West.
We are just at the bottom. And we like it.
Joshua Wheeler, Acid West.
