a CATALYSIS PROJECTS publication

Available in Hard or Soft Cover on AMAZON.com and at the following locations:

Salton Sea History Museum
North Shore

High Desert Test Sites
Downtown Joshua Tree, CA

Mt. Fugi General Store
Joshua Tree, CA

HOME ON THE STRANGE: IN SEARCH OF THE SALTON SEA

Based on Polaroids taken over a period of four years, Home on the Strange: In search of the Salton Sea depicts various aspects of the reality of life on the Salton Sea. In her trademark style of haunting American Realism, Martin skillfully and subtly examines concepts of worth and beauty and begs compelling questions about the psychology of place and the search for a sense of home.

Amy Sather Smith contributes text to supplement Martin’s paintings, providing a history of the Salton Sea and examining the dreams that originally attracted people to the area as well as the psychology that compels some to stay and others to still arrive.

EXCERPT:

We’re losing light as we drive slowly through this place at the end of the world, stopping for a few last snapshots of somebody’s home. I am fascinated by the relationship between the human psyche and physical environment. We are amazing and resourceful animals. How we create and/or adapt to our physical surroundings, our notions of home and definition of community: all potent reflections of our inner hopes and fears, which on a base level are completely universal…no matter how disparate things may appear on the surface

Heading back on the 10 East to Los Angeles it occurs to me that the Salton Sea serves as a reminder that, for some more obviously than others, but ultimately for us all, the American Dream has gone south, gotten strange. The oasis is now a cesspool. I wonder what keeps us hanging on. Is it faith or delusion? Is there a difference? Does it matter?