The Art of Labor and the Dance of Labor

Agricultural labor is certainly backbreaking work and remains a politically embattled subject. It's also something that everyone is involved in on some level since we all eat. In California one would have to be quite insulated to be unaware of the sources of their food. A short drive in any direction eventually features the colorful dots of migrant laborers amidst green fields of one crop or another. I took a closer look and spent some time observing the workers. What I found and what appeals to me, underneath the ruffling blanket of politics, is the timeless beauty and clear purpose found in the act of harvesting. Difficult as it may be to stoop for hours in the midday sun, the field-laborer is connected to the earth in an artful and unique way. It may be a stretch to call it a dance of labor but that's truly how I see it.