Enjoy the Silence
The Only Other Thing is Nothing
Photographs by Rick Perez
Editor-in-Chief Rick Perez photographs an evening in Bombay Beach, a town filled with alien structures, poisonous water, and endless self-expression.
Bombay Beach, USA
The bones of dead fish cracked under my bare feet as I approached the edge of the water. The sun was setting behind a row of mountains, painting the lake’s surface with orange and blue and created a purple hue in the surrounding land. Other-worldly structures dotted the shoreline, seemingly left by alien gods for us meer humans to worship. The air, although tremendously cooler compared to earlier in the day, had a murky stench that I could not escape. Nonetheless, I fell in love with the beautiful toxic wasteland of Bombay Beach.
Located three hours southeast of Los Angeles, the town of Bombay Beach rests on the shore of a man made lake called The Salton Sea. I was here with my boyfriend Edgar Aguirre, as well as my creative collaborators, videographer Logan Maclachlan and model Chase Dillon. We were on a two day video shoot for Reckless Magazine and decided to stay at an airbnb in this town.
On the last day of the shoot, Edgar and I ventured through the small town of under 200 people. We came across art installations nestled amongst abonded buildings and dilapidated mobile homes, something that seemed so odd yet so right. Only artists can create beauty from this dry, desolate place.
A short history of Bombay Beach starts with the Salton Sea. Made from an irrigation accident in 1905, the Salton Sea became California’s largest body of water and with as much salt as ocean water. In the 1950s, Bombay Beach boomed as a resort town, attracting vacationers and celebrities. Over the years, the neighboring agriculture farms spilled pesticide infused waste water into the sea, poisoning the lake. The visitors stopped coming and what was left was an apocalyptic settlement we see today.
In recent years, however, artists turned Bombay Beach into a creative oasis. Giant sculptures emerged from the water and entire lots were dedicated to different installations. In a place that has seemed to be forgotten in time, artists have found a haven for self-expression.
I love Bombay Beach. It’s hot, slow, but nothing you would expect and that’s why I love it. It’s a special place in the universe that cradles between life and death and is open to interpretation. If you are an artist, visit Bombay Beach and let your imagination run wild.
