EcoArchive: Mediations on Time and Nature (2010-11)
Cynthia Hooper
MEXIMPERIALI (video still), 2009
Color video, total running time 10:05
Click here for video
The Mexicali and Imperial Valleys, both belonging to the vast, attenuated (and now bisected) historical flood plain of the Colorado River, are two of the most intensively productive agricultural regions in Mexico and the U.S. This would never have been were it not for the vision and hubris that rerouted the Colorado River into this desert some 100 years ago. The canal dug to irrigate the region has since been bifurcated, litigated, and most recently lined with concrete—all with the outcome of reducing the Mexicali Valley’s historical access to water. This video serves as a reminder that these two valleys remain—despite the managerialist imperatives that divide them—very much one cultural, environmental, and hydrological entity.
EcoArchive: Meditations on Time and Nature
November 3, 2010 – January 22, 2011
Intersection for the Arts
San Francisco, CA