I am for an art that grows up not knowing it is art at all.

I knew I had to take my ambition more seriously, so I enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago. Then, in the fall, I went on a tour of my own. I didn't go to New York because that was too well known for its art scene.

I'm in favor of an art that does something other than just sit on its ass in a museum.

The end of the '60s was a terrible time. I was in Los Angeles then, and I remember the night someone ran into the studio and told us about the Manson murders. Then suddenly something happened, the '60s disappeared. The '70s were completely different.

I was always interested in drawing. As a child, I started my own country, which was called Neubern. It was located in the South Atlantic. I did the documentation of Neubern in great detail. I drew everything that was there, all the houses and all the cars and all the people. We even had a navy and an air force. I spent a lot of time drawing.

I was very happy to be living in New York at that time, more than in the present time. Now it's all commerce.

The main reason for the colossal objects is the obvious one, to expand and intensify the presence of the vessel - the object.