Brace yourselves for a monument born from a mountain of discarded appliances. This is Fridgehenge also known as Stonefridge. It once stood near Santa Fe.
Adam Jonas Horowitz a documentary filmmaker created Fridgehenge. He conceived it as an anti-monument to consumerism. Horowitz was shocked by the appliance mountains at the Santa Fe landfill in 1996. This inspired his “megalithic, post-apocalyptic” artwork. He described it as a “black humor approach to the downfall of civilization.”
Horowitz approached the city of Santa Fe with his proposal in 1997. After a year and a half of meetings it was accepted. The city required a million-dollar insurance policy. The first two attempts to build it were “accidentally” bulldozed by the City’s Public Works Department. Horowitz persevered despite these setbacks. He also faced lower-level vandalism.
The construction of Fridgehenge became a performance piece. Horowitz robed himself in garb of authority. Workers wore loincloths. They used teepee poles ropes and pulleys. This rigged a human-powered crane. It underscored the concept that “we are slaves to this consumer society.”
Fridgehenge eventually comprised about 140 refrigerators. The outer ring’s columns were two refrigerators high. They were topped with another ring. The interior columns were even taller. The refrigerators were bolted together. Adobe bricks weighted them down inside. A sign at the entrance read “From the Stone Age to the Appliance Age.”
Instead of aligning with the sun like the original Stonehenge Fridgehenge faced west. It aligned with Los Alamos National Laboratories. This was the home of the Manhattan Project. Horowitz a critic of nuclear power wanted the Labs visible from Fridgehenge. He called the Labs the home of the “atomic solstice.”
Originally intended as a two-week display Fridgehenge became a popular tourist destination. It lasted over ten years. However it wasn’t well-maintained. Vandalism and windstorms took their toll. Some refrigerators fell over. Visitors felt this heightened the authenticity aligning it visually with Stonehenge.
In May 2007 the City of Santa Fe dismantled Fridgehenge. An April storm had knocked over many refrigerator stacks. The city declared it a health and safety hazard. Horowitz learned of its demise by telephone.
Today Fridgehenge is no longer standing. It remains a testament to art consumerism and the creative spirit. It reminds us to consider the impact of our waste. Though gone its story continues to spark conversation. It makes us rethink our relationship with the things we consume.