The Palm Fraud series came about during a road trip to the Southern California desert. Anna found this inflatable palm tree at a yard sale for $5 and we threw it in the back of the truck.

When we were off-roading in an ill-equipped vehicle while looking for natural hot springs, we got stuck in a sand trap. While we were waiting to get towed, I blew up the palm tree and placed it in the desert. It felt oddly right at home. I lit it with the flashlight on my camera and did several long exposures. I liked the image so much, I decided to take the palm tree to various locations like the Salton Sea and Palm Springs. This work later inspired the work I did on Shanzai Zhexue and Tang Ping, Lie Flat and Be Free.