Coachella Valley, including its billboards, is currently experiencing a makeover as it hosts the Desert X outdoor art festival. Visual artist Jennifer Bolande took on the ambitious project of replacing billboards in the area with photos of the mountainous landscapes they blocked, and it sends an important social message.
Visible Distance / Second Sight, as the project is known, features 'vanishing' billboards that are designed to be seen from a moving car. When approached at the right angle, the images align and seamlessly blend in with their surroundings, emulating the famous Burma-Shave road signs from the 1950's that sequentially formed messages when driven past. The billboards stand along the Gene Autry Trail.
The purpose of Desert X is to encourage a reconnection with the environment. Jennifer Bolande's project takes focus off of commercial advertising and puts it on the natural beauty of Coachella valley,
