No wonder the film industry started in the desert in California where, like all desert dwellers, they dream their buildings, rather than design them.

In the quote, "No wonder the film industry started in the desert in California where, like all desert dwellers, they dream their buildings, rather than design them," Arthur Erickson, a renowned Canadian architect, reflects on the creative and imaginative environment that gave rise to the film industry in Southern California. Erickson is commenting on the way the film industry has often been characterized by bold, visionary ideas that emphasize dreams and storytelling over traditional architectural or design constraints.

Erickson’s reference to desert dwellers alludes to the arid, vast, and open landscape of California's desert regions, which are often associated with freedom and imagination. Just as desert environments can be sparse and raw, the film industry in California, particularly in Hollywood, has historically been a place where unconventional and visionary ideas were given space to flourish. He contrasts this dreaming with the more structured, methodical approach to designing found in traditional architecture, where form and function are carefully planned and executed.

By stating that filmmakers "dream their buildings, rather than design them," Erickson underscores the notion that the film industry is built on the fantastical, relying more on imagination and illusion than on the practical aspects of architecture. The movies are, in a sense, "dreamscapes" where the rules of physical design and reality are bent or completely ignored to create fantastical worlds. This aligns with the artistic freedom that characterizes both the film industry and the landscape of California, a place often seen as a blank canvas for creativity.

Ultimately, Erickson’s quote highlights the close connection between the environment of California, especially the desert, and the film industry's emphasis on imagination and innovation. By creating larger-than-life stories and landscapes, filmmakers in California have embraced a more ethereal, dreamlike approach to storytelling, much like the landscape itself — vast, limitless, and full of potential for transformation.