phantom audio 7: sandra de la loza and harry gamboa in conversation

“I think the perspective of what you're talking about, in terms of looking at myths, and basically, trying to destabilize the myth long enough to snap people out of mass hypnosis, and the effectiveness of creating something that will jar someone's consciousness—that's quite a bit of power for an individual, compared to the conglomerates, and that in itself is sort of an act of great strength, and something that could be shared with young people.”

“I think that's what artists do, actually: They provide images, or words, or ideas, that actually kind of shock people into consciousness. And that's kind of our job, I think, as artists, whether we're effective or not, or whether we get rewarded or not, or whether we're recognized or not. And I think that's why so many people are so enthralled, even to the earliest cave paintings. I mean, that's what taggers are all about too. It's like, we just have that in our genetic code—we have to express the fact that we do exist, and of course, that's affected by our perception of who we are.”

—Harry Gamboa, in conversation with Sandra de la Loza, Sunday, 4 May, 2008



“I think [LSD inventor Albert Hoffman] helped us see, helped us realize, that maybe what appears to be… really isn't it—isn't what is, and that has a lot to do with what my installation is about here at LACMA.”

“I think the urban daily life disrupts… me.”

— Sandra de la Loza, in conversation with Harry Gamboa, Sunday, 4 May, 2008



To listen to the conversation, click here.