This week, I had three vivid conversations in three different places that all turned my attention toward the Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly. On Sunday, I spoke with artist curator Katie Murphy and artist Vanessa Mayoraz about our upcoming show at Persons Unknown Gallery (opening June 6th). Katie evoked the late poet Andrea Gibson's heartbreaking and beautiful poetry collection - The Lord of the Butterflies - as a ground for thinking and feeling with our work. On Saturday, I met anthropologist and filmmaker Devlin Gandly at MOCA Geffen's Plant Sale through co-tablist Emma Kemp.  He responded to my story about working with the ecosystem in and around Angels Gate Cultural Center with his own story about re-introducing the endangered Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly into a abandoned bunkers in the nearby White Point Nature Preserve. On Monday, I ran into artist and deep attunement collaborator Marco Schindelman, who shared his long-term dream of creating an opera within the White Point Nature Preserve inspired by the Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly and this incredibly relevant and early "cine-poetry" film The Life of Butterflies (1911). 

So for this week, Marco will lead us on a hike up to the bunkers where Devlin released Palos Verdes Blue Butteflies. We will read a poem from Andrea Gibson's The Lord of the Butterflies. And, if at all possible, screen The Life of Butterflies inside the bunker. Then, if there is time, we will perform the third score from Pauline Oliveros' environmental dialogue suite (having done the first and second iterations in earlier workshops). 

We will meet at 1pm, Friday May 22nd at 1478 W Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90731 (at White Point trailhead: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rrsBzBBCsq7zSWTZ6) for those traveling by foot. 

Access information: the bunker we are heading to is wheelchair accessible through via the Vista Trail with parking immediately in front of the Nature Center, but it's probably about 1 km on this path from the visitor center with some up hill sections to access the top of the hill where we are meeting. It may also be possible to park at the top of the hill and access the site from there, but I need to check that out this week. Will write back with more info on this, when I have it. 

Arrival times: if you arrive after 1:10, we will already be moving through the park. Feel free to use the attached annotated map to find us or text/call, and I will try to help guide you to our location.