Rescaled Control

Rescaled Control is a series of works involving zooming in, layering, editing and juxtaposing images captured on a military site where warfare is rehearsed. This work is a branch of a larger series (encompassing photography, video, creative non-fiction and performance) that explores spatial theory and ecological thinking through bodily encounters across US desertscapes, including Yoland’s time navigating the sets designed for active military simulations in the Mojave Desert.

Since 2012, Yoland’s exploration of US desert border zones—whether private/public, international (US/Mexico), industrial or military—has allowed for an examination of how movement is controlled, how land is perceived and managed, and how violence and extractivism are interwoven. In turn, Yoland investigates the impact of these findings, specifically how they influence our understanding of the limits and rights of our bodies in space, and how we choose to interact with other humans and more-than-human entities. These points intersect with the fear and fantasy of ownership, occupation and territorial power that play out in US deserts, with ramifications extending globally.

The drawings or diagrams layered over desert images were Yoland’s notes. They reflect a range of on-site note taking, including fieldwork records of the dynamics and movements Yoland observed while travelling through both open and closed deserts, as well as performance ideas that Yoland was developing in response. The images included here show details of surveillance machines, speakers, and trucks rigged with IEDs, positioned within the equipment and sets used for training.

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