Volterre Takes Seven Magic Mountains

Out in the Mojave just 10 miles outside of Las Vegas lies a technicolor Stonehenge.

Visible from the I-15, seven 35 ft. tall totems of psychedelic limestone boulders stand in the forefront of an expansive desert horizon. Lured by the mirage of rainbow stalagmites in our wake, we stopped by to investigate during our Alterna-Vegas trip (guide coming soon!).

Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone hopes that his Magic Mountains will urge visitors of the Strip to realize the full extent, beyond the opportunities for hedonist binging, of what Vegas has to offer. Calling attention to humans’ relationship with Earth, Rondinone masks the boulders he amassed with fiercely artificial colors. According to the artist, "the location is physically and symbollicaly mid-way between the natural and the artificial: the natural is expressed by the mountain ranges, desert, and Jean Dry Lake backdrop, and the artificial is expressed by the highway and the constant flow of traffic between Los Angeles and Las Vegas."

The installation took years of planning, namely because of the process of re-zoning the land as a museum space. But now that that's been accomplished, rumor has it there will be more installations to come, making this an unlikely yet spectacular natural gallery backlit by sunrises and sunsets over the desert.

This installation will be dismantled in May 2018, so don’t just drive by - despite the signs warning visitors of snakes, get out of the car check out these statues in full form.