The finished project included skylights, built-in seating, carved bed platforms and electricity and running water | instagram/@swoonhq
He began work on a cave home for Liz Neymark, who was diagnosed with advanced melanoma and breast cancer, and her husband, Shel, in 1997. The finished project included skylights, built-in seating, carved bed platforms, and electricity and running water, according to ABC News’s 2015 report. He had to put in constant physical effort, with a 2015 profile in DuJour reporting that he spent more than two years on the Neymarks’ cave and worked about 20 hours a week.
A striking feature of the living room was that a circular section was carved into the floor that produced a drumming sound when someone danced on it, ABC News reported.
Shel Neymark contributed tilework to the interior, according to ABC News. Artist Ra Paulette was known for carving underground spaces in New Mexico’s sandstone. Paulette had to remove sandstone and shape the interior as he went, and worked entirely by hand with tools which included a pick, wheelbarrow and brushes. He built skylights which brought daylight underground, while built-in platforms acted as beds and seating. The practical amenities included electricity and running water, and the bathroom featured a sunken tub. A home that was built during a serious illness
It was released in 2013 and followed Paulette’s work in northern New Mexico and examined disagreements that came up when clients wanted different results or timelines from the artist. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short at the 2014 Oscars, with the American Film Institute’s film synopsis describing how Paulette eventually set aside commissioned work to work on a large project that he expected to take a decade. Paulette continued working on other caves after the home was completed, and by the time of the 2015 ABC News report, he had spent years developing a project called Luminous Caves, which is a larger complex that was designed to use sunlight entering through tunnels and openings in the rock.
CaveDigger is a short documentary directed by Jeffrey Karoff that documented Paulette’s cave projects. The Neymarks’ cave was designed for daily life, since its sleeping areas, bathroom, seating and utilities were incorporated into the excavated stone, and also made it different from caves that were intended primarily for visitors or meditation. The Neymarks’ home remained one of his few excavations built specifically to function as a private residence.
