Deep in the vast desert of west Texas lies the small town of Marfa, a place that is popular among artists and tourists alike.
Valentine is Marfa's oft-forgotten neighbor. The town's population is around 125 and shrinking. Valentine had a parallel history to Marfa, until Donald Judd moved to Marfa in 1971.
Recycled materials such as plastic are currently in high supply and low demand. Valentine is in need of an economic boom. The town decides to purchase a machine to convert recycled plastic bales into structural plastic building bricks.
Because the price of plastic is so cheap, the town stockpiles the recycled plastic bales at a fast pace. At first, stockpiles and factories are along the highway.
Eventually, local ranchers decide to get in on this new economy and rent out a portion of their land. The result is sublime forms in the landscape that draw curious tourists from Marfa.
Meanwhile, the town itself is transforming and growing through the use of these new bricks. The town subsidizes the cost of bricks when a newcomer purchases land in Valentine, drawing in more people.
Many people who move to Valentine are leaving behind family homes in Marfa. Marfa has a higher tax on adobe homes, which many long time residents can no longer afford. Plastic bricks are beginning to replace adobe homes throughout the region.
Fall 2019
The University of Texas at Austin
Partners: Alex St. Angelo and Kristen Wilson