The PASSAGE
In tribute to those who preceded us, we are building a humble hut to act as a PASSAGE to evoke the presence of those who toiled on the grounds of the historic Alta Vista plantation in Waller County, where hundreds of individuals were once held in enslavement.1
In the hallowed grounds of Wyatt Cemetery, nestled in this historic landscape of Prairie View A&M University, you will find the resting places of not only Alta Vista’s former enslaved individuals but also those from other plantations including Liendo, bearing witness to the interconnected histories of these plantations and their role in shaping this complex era.2
This hut, crafted from paper elements upcycled from grasses meticulously harvested by dedicated students and faculty from these very same grounds, symbolizes our commitment to preserving this multifaceted history. Its materials are intentionally designed to organically degrade in their initial placement, seamlessly reintegrating with the earth from which they were sourced, just as we strive to reintegrate the diverse narratives of these plantations and their inhabitants into our collective memory.
1.tshaonline.org 2.tdewaynemoore.com
Bio Bill Prices' career has spanned three decades, during which time he has practiced and produced work in eleven different countries. He has practiced professionally in Switzerland and the Netherlands, where he spent four years with OMA/Rem Koolhaas. There he acted as Research and Development Director and saw the Villa Bordeaux (Time Magazine called this house the most important private residence of the twentieth century") through to completion. Bill collaborated with Ai Weiwei in China, after which Ai Weiwei picked Bill's work to include in Phaidon's 10 x 10-3 Monograph.
