Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

WINTER 2023/2024 DREAMSCAPES 35 T he drive from El Paso to the small West Texas town of Marfa takes about three hours. Along the way, the occa- sional pecan farm stands out amid the low-lying agave plants and creosote bushes of the Chihuahuan Desert. Every 50 kilometres or so along U.S. Route 90, small towns appear on the horizon, like bits of amber regularly strung on an enormous, dusty necklace. They were founded in the 1880s as water stops for the thirsty steam engines of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Just before we reach Valentine (population: 109), things get a bit strange. We pull over to check out Prada Marfa, an artwork by Scandinavian artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. Resembling a small store, the permanently locked adobe building displays shoes and purses from the fall 2005 Prada collection. The artists have intentionally left the structure to decay over time, hoping it will become a ruined time capsule. GIANTS OF MARFA Closer to Marfa, we stop again—this time, in front of a huge installation by California-based artist John Cerney. In 2018, he used plywood to recreate scenes from Giant, a 1956 movie partly shot here. We pose for selfies in front of a larger-than-life James Dean before driving on to nearby Marfa. At first glance, Marfa looks like just another water-stop town. A four-way flashing red light hangs above the intersection of San Antonio Street and Highland Avenue. Wide thoroughfares built for pickups and farm machinery stretch into the distance. How- ever, unlike roads in Valentine, Marfa's streets are lined with sleek shops and galleries. At Garza Marfa, a home decor boutique, a set of four colourful cotton table napkins costs US$64; a modern leather living-room chair rings in at US$1,995. A few blocks away, the RULE Gallery is hosting a temporary exhibition of avant-garde collage. And the non- profit Marfa Studio of Arts sells inexpensive, locally made jewellery, paintings and other items to support its children's art programs. THE BIG Q All of this begs the question: How did this isolated Wild West town become an artistic hotbed? The answer lies largely with the late Donald Judd, who first saw West Texas in 1946 at age 18, through the windows of a cross-country bus. FINE DINING IN A SMALL TOWN Splurge on a multi-course prix-fixe dinner at Cochineal restaurant. There, executive chef Alexandra Gates—a 2020 semi-finalist for the James Beard Award—creates memorable small plates such as rabbit confit, using local, sus- tainable ingredients. Reserve far in advance, as space is limited. PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK/SUNTI | SHUTTERSTOCK/MAGRAPHY | ALEX MARKS, COURTESY OF THE CHINATI FOUNDATION | SHUTTERSTOCK/KELLY VANDELLEN | VISIT MARFA | SHUTTERSTOCK/JANE CORLEY John Chamberlain Building, 1983. Permanent collection, the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas.

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