I set up my Real Imaginary (Desert) Archive as part of the High Desert Test Sites art show at the Sky Village Swap Meet the weekend of October 25th. The Friday prior, I set up my archive and met Bob Carr. He invited me into his “Crystal Cave,” which I was told, is an honor. Most people peer through the portals to view the flowing river and gems, the fake moss and undulating levels of spray insulation covered in bright paint. He said he is very sensitive to energies, so he only wants good energies inside his cave. I annoyed myself thinking of all of the toxicity involved in its creation, but after a few minutes sitting on the worn sofa with the pillow that said “KING OF THE REMOTE” supporting my lower back, I found the cave pretty soothing and magical.

After a few minutes I came out and talked to Bob about his masterpiece, which has been 10 years in the making and will never be finished. Many hands have been involved over the years. Insulation had been donated, along with hundreds of dollars of gems. But Bob has spent much of his social security money on the project. Working on it, he said, kept him from becoming sane. People often give him a hard time for putting so much effort into a work that won’t be for sale. He said he didn’t understand the profit oriented drive of modern society. He said, “If that’s the way one is ‘supposed’ to live life, supposed to be ‘sane’ — I want nothing to do with it! That’s Insanity!” Although people and their murderous ways terrify him (comments like these often follow others about war and the military), he does it all out of love.