a look inside ra paulette's hand dug luminous caves in new mexico

a look inside ra paulette’s hand dug luminous caves in new mexico
image courtesy karoff films

wielding a wheelbarrow-backpack, american artist ra paulette hikes a mile into the sandstone mesas of northern new mexico. for over ten years, ra has traveled alone to his luminous caves, chipping scraping and digging away into the mountainsides carving out wondrous light-filled caverns. each pile of dirt was intentionally dug and personally discarded by ra, as the concepts of the luminous caves delves even deeper than the sheer wonder of one person creating a masterpiece of this scale, alone, every day for over ten years. 

entrance
image courtesy ra paulette

paulette was always struck by the relationship between humans, nature, and the inner soul. a solitary walk through a forest is more than a casual stroll, it becomes an introspective pilgrimage. when complete, the caves are meant to provide surreal transformative environments for this exact purpose- they are designed to foster ‘spiritual renewal and personal well being‘. illuminated only by light tunnels in the ceilings, each chamber possesses its own unique qualities. although the designs cannot really be likened to any one specific style, each space exhibits a mastery of textures brought to life by light, each creating their own feeling. when complete, the caves will become a venue for artistic events and personal discovery. by combining a sense of wonder, beauty, and the sacred, paulette attempts to change our actions as a society to help bring about change.

rooms are illuminated by light tunnels
image courtesy karoff films

a palette of textures forms each chamber
image courtesy ra paulette

ra personally scraping and chipping away at the sandstone walls
image courtesy ra paulette

image courtesy karoff films

image courtesy karoff films

image courtesy karoff films

image courtesy karoff films

image courtesy karoff films

light tunnel
image courtesy ra paulette

image courtesy ra paulette

image courtesy ra paulette

image courtesy karoff films

image courtesy karoff films

image courtesy karoff films

image courtesy ra paulette

ra hard at work
image courtesy ra paulette

entrance to the caves
image courtesy ra paulette

transporting dirt by hand
image courtesy karoff films

site
image courtesy ra paulette