Steph Zimmerman


Land Reutilization Authority

Land Reutilization Authority is an installation of custom-fabricated instruments and audio compositions created using materials found at vacant lots owned by St. Louis’ Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). Established in 1971 when the city was experiencing rapid depopulation—due to de jure segregation, failed civic projects, white flight,
and changes in industry, among other factors—the LRA is the oldest land bank in the country. The audio series amplifies the sounds of the bits and scraps leftover on these properties, framing these spaces not as empty/neutral, but as sites colored by projection, ambient sound, fantasy, and a history of shutting out difference.

Listen to excerpt of series:


2019 Creative Stimulus Award Exhibition, The Search, at Flood Plain Gallery, St. Louis, MO, curated by Amy Reidel. Exhibition made possible with support from Critical Mass for the Visual Arts and the Regional Arts Commission.









Note: Flag seen in outdoor installation is collaborative work, "Pledge to the Cult of the Left (Hand)/Sing a Hymn to the Right (Hand)" between artists Edo Rosenblith, Janie Stamm, and Jon Young.

Materials collected from lots

Drum kit rigged up with collected materials

Performance of Land Reutilization Authority with Ryan DeLoach at conclusion of residency at Paul Artspace, November 2017. Photo by Gina Grafos.