Where Does All The Stuff Go?

When my friend Shari Elf (leftmost in this great image from Friday's Perry Hoffman opening at Gretchen's Creative Center - that's Gretchen in the middle and Ana on the right) told me about the Yucca Valley Swap Meet, I didn't know quite what to expect. On Saturday, after the farmer's market, I headed over there around noon. The swap meet is a giant flea market staged on the grounds of a former drive-in. There are some interesting solid structures, generally built in a wild, wild west aesthetic, as well as dozens of vendors at tables selling pretty much anything you might consider. From animals skulls to buddhas to outdoor teak furniture to electronic bits to an old Vespa to kitchenware, crockery, silverware and clothing. And much much more. For much, much less. You can comfortably outfit a desert hideaway from the supplies at this place.



I got there at noon, thinking the meet went until 2.30pm. It sort of does although the hardcore shoppers are there from 7am to get the hot deals. Quite why they bother I don't know, as one gent was giving a lot of things away since the crowd had disappeared and he didn't want to haul it all out. I wandered around, scored a CHIPs mug and old tin for storing coffee. The few vendors still there were super amiable, even providing real estate tips. I crowned the outing off with a grilled sandwich at the characterful Sky Cafe which ended up serving coffee for free to empty the pot.



As I ate lunch, I contemplated the Pinocchio / Tin Man assemblage mounted near the table. How do we separate out and value one effort from another? I had a breakout end to the week with my work. I entered into a new process of leaving many pieces out on the table and reworking or adding to them as appropriate. Just letting them be there and letting them mature. Tidying everything neatly away at the end of each day had been leaving me judging the works as individual final products - now I could see them as part of a larger development that was blooming on. No need to judge yet, or at all.