This caveman digs nature and the Sox

THE term “caveman art” might bring to mind crudely rendered hunting scenes etched onto stone, but Joel Tauber is a different kind of a caveman, and his art is just as unusual. The 33-year-old fine-arts graduate of Yale and Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design rents out living space that’s been carved from the side of a hill in Eagle Rock, and seldom have human and habitat been so aptly joined.

A teacher of video and Web art at USC, he has created film installations that revolve around interaction with nature, whether it’s his crawling naked into holes dug into desert soil, his strange underwater encounters or his attempts to fly with the aid of balloons while accompanying himself on bagpipes.

Tauber’s nautical adventure, “The Underwater Project: Turning Myself Into Music,” is at USC’s Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery through Sept. 2. But his weekends are his own.

Food and tree lover

I’m a big food lover, and on a Friday night, I might go over to Cafe Beaujolais in Eagle Rock. I’ve pretty much been a vegetarian since high school -- I never eat red meat or chicken -- but I eat fish when I’m not getting enough protein, and I’m in my fish-eating phase right now, so I’d probably have the salmon, with creme brulee for dessert.

After that I’d probably go to a gallery opening or maybe to the Laemmle in Pasadena to see a documentary. I just saw Werner Herzog’s “Grizzly Man,” which I liked a lot.

On Saturday morning I’ll walk over to the Coffee Table in Eagle Rock and have the tofu scramble. Or right near there is Auntie Em’s Kitchen, where I might indulge in the orange French toast. They also have great salads and amazing brownies and cookies. After that I’ll go visit my tree, which will be my next video installation. I go swimming at the pool near the Rose Bowl a lot, and one day I noticed this tree in the middle of this giant parking lot. It was surrounded by cars and trash and seemed neglected like how some people are forgotten, and it tugged at my heart, so I started spending time with it, bringing water in these 20-gallon bags and climbing up into it and taking pictures. The installation won’t be ready for about 10 months.

After spending time with the tree I’ll go swimming and then to Fatty’s in Eagle Rock. It’s a vegetarian restaurant, and I like the fondue, and the pizza is fantastic. In the evening I’ll go to a party or do some tree research in my cave. I like just chilling on my couch and reading. I rented the place after seeing an ad in the Recycler. I had to hollow out a hundred gallons of dirt and rock, but it’s very cool in the summer.

A superstitious vein

I’m originally from Boston, and if the Red Sox are in town on a weekend, I always go see them play. When they won the World Series last year, I’d watch the games while I was on the phone with one of my friends from back there. And if things were going well, we’d have to remain still as we were talking because we were so superstitious. It was stupid, but it worked.

Also on Sundays, I like to go up to Angeles Crest and go hiking. I dig holes up there too and then crawl into them. There’s no one within miles, and it’s so peaceful and quiet. There’s a new restaurant called Newcomb’s Ranch, but it’s hard to tell what they do well, because after digging holes all day, everything tastes good.

--Mark Sachs