Los Angeles/Rome Currently based in Yucca Valley, CA.
CONTACT:
@: martinaalbertazzi14@gmail.com
ph. (+1) 628 - 249 - 5900 (+39) 349 - 7730004
Hot Springs Long Term Visitor Area. Holtville, California
Carrie and Susy inside their van in Palm Desert, CA
A camping resort in Palm Desert, CA
The interstate above the East Highline Canal outside the hot springs in...READ ON
The interstate above the East Highline Canal outside the hot springs in Holtville, Imperial Valley. The hot springs are just outside a public campground and are a very popular destination among the nomad community that travels through the desert evert winter.
Sunfair Dry Lake. Joshua Tree, California.
Johnny a the Hot Springs in Holtville, California
Quartzsite, Arizona
RV resort in Palm Desert, California
Darleen and David at the Hot Springs. Holtville, California
Quartzsite, Arizona
Jim standing outside his van parked in the Hot Springs Long Term Visitor Area...READ ON
Jim standing outside his van parked in the Hot Springs Long Term Visitor Area in Holtville, California. Jim spends the summer in Minnesota and usually comes down to California around late November every year.
Sofia and Colin with their kids Alfonso and Camilo inside their van in Joshua...READ ON
Sofia and Colin with their kids Alfonso and Camilo inside their van in Joshua Tree, California. Sofia and her family have spent the last two years living on the road.
La Posa Long Term Visitor Area. Quartzsite, Arizona
Gems for sale in Quartzsite, Arizona
Darleen at the Hot Springs. Holtville, California
Carrie's van parked at the Hot Springs Long Term Visitor Area. Holtville, California
Mike and Sam inside their shop in Quartzsite, Arizona. They've been...READ ON
Mike and Sam inside their shop in Quartzsite, Arizona. They've been living on the road for the past four years. During the winter, the busiest season in the desert, they sell gems and minerals. The rest of the year they travel around doing mineral mining.
Sunfair Dry Lake. Joshua Tree, California
Jordan, a young man I met briefly in Quartzsite, AZ
Kim strolling with his dogs Amy and Zoey at the Hot Springs Long Term Visitor...READ ON
Kim strolling with his dogs Amy and Zoey at the Hot Springs Long Term Visitor Area. Holtville, California.
These images are part of an ongoing project about nomads who travel to the deserts of the southwest for extended winters. It’s an examination of what home means in 21st century America, featuring people who have either been left behind in today’s economy and/or are finding new opportunities.
Nomads are part of a big and very stratified subculture made of people of all ages who have very different backgrounds. Some travel for necessity, others for passion. Some do it only seasonally, others are permanent wanderers. Many travelers I crossed paths with told me that the thing that they love most about their life is the relationships that they create with other people and the communities that are born at every stop.
I started to work on this series in 2020, when I moved to Yucca Valley, a desert town two hours east of LA, just outside Joshua Tree National Park. From November until the end of April this area is one of the most popular spots among nomads. After three years I keep roaming around Southern California and Western Arizona to meet new people and old friends I stayed in touch with. I keep exploring the meanings of home and roots through the stories that travelers share with me and the concept of travel as a sustainable choice for a permanent way of living.
Martina Albertazzi
I am an Italian photographer currently based in Los Angeles. I use portraiture and documentary photography to cover social and gender issues I am passionate about. Please feel free to contact me anytime for assignments all around California and the U.S.