Bobby Conn turned me onto the Museum of Jurassic Technology in 02002. I can not tell you how inspired and in love I am with these organizations (and Bobby Conn.) They are in the DNA of EbM. They are inspirations, in the way Survival Research Laboratories, Re/Search magazine, and The Center On Contemporary Art when it was run by Larry Reid are. They gave us breath. Writing about how much I love them makes me a little teary. You should go visit them. They make life feel better.
I bought a bunch of inspiring books, and one DVD from CLUI, a few years back. Cynthia's video art is a stellar contemplation of humanity's use of land. It is never preachy. It is always beautiful. She creates stunning visual poems. They draw you in, they are riveting. She is an activist, but her work is never abrasive. She works through subtlety and charm.
A year or so after I bought her video, another amazing artist, Phil Ross, mentioned her to me. He suggested EbM contact her. We did. A year of emails about aborted trips north ensued.
Saturday last, she was in Oakland, and, delightfully, so was I!
At Interface Gallery, Cynthia presented a video and lecture on the Westlands Water District.
The video is beautiful. The lecture was inspiring. Also, depressing.
Fortunately, Cynthia is the very picture of joie de vivre. It was impossible to be overwhelmed by the toxicity of the situation in California's Central Valley under her tutelage.
Somehow, someday, EbM will find a way to commission Cynthia, I hope!
In the meantime, I suggest you watch her videos.
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