Rolling up to the Prada Marfa installation felt like a dream. For years this place has been at the top of my list to visit but never did I think we would actually be right here, right now, together. 

We ventured out to Valentine, just under 30 miles northwest of Marfa, shortly after breakfast Friday morning. I read an article before our trip that suggested the best times to visit Prada Marfa were at sunrise and sunset, but really I think anytime is great. I mean come on, it’s Prada Marfa! We arrived around 10:30 a.m. and stayed through noon and it worked out great for us (especially since we got to sleep in that morning). The weather was beautiful, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we had the place to ourselves almost the entire time. 

When we got there, all I could do was stare at it from across the road. I was in awe. Then after a few minutes, I got my phone out and took probably 45 identical photos of the installation itself. Surely Scott thought I was crazy but he gave me my time. I imagine this is what it’s like when a male sees a professional athlete in person. After my oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-I’m-here trance, Scott and I walked over to the installation and looked inside. Talk about a time warp! When the installation was built back in 2005, Elmgreen and Dragset used pieces from Prada’s line that year to display. Perhaps it’s the fact that these products have been sitting in the sunlight in the middle of nowhere for twelve years, but everything looked so old and outdated. It’s crazy how fast fashion changes. But hey, that’s exactly what this installation is all about: consumerism. 

One other cool thing you may not know about Prada Marfa is that people have started placing locks onto the chainlink fence directly behind the installation, similar to the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris that no longer exists. Perhaps they’ve passed the torch onto Marfa? Anyway, if you go and want to leave your mark, bring a lock!