1/26/2010

What Remains of a Building…
Surface Tension_Los Angeles

Carmen Argote
Cindy Santos Bravo
Ken Ehrlich
Brandon LaBelle

Exhibition Duration: February 12 – March 27, 2010

Opening Reception: Friday, February 12 6:00 – 9:00 pm

@

g727
727 South Spring Street
LA, CA 90014

g727 is pleased to announce What Remains of a Building…, organized by Ken Ehrlich and Brandon LaBelle. This exhibition is the third installment of the Surface Tension series, which generates collaborative projects and publications addressing site-based art practices and questions related to the built environment. Previous Surface Tension exhibitions were presented in Curitiba, Brazil (2006) and Copenhagen, Denmark (2007).

What Remains of a Building… asks each participating artist to focus on a specific built space, including the recent new headquarters of the LAPD, a domestic space in downtown, Hollywood motels, and the legendary jazz club, the Cadillac Café. Each site provides a generative platform for examining particular histories, cultures, and politics intertwined within the city of LA. Spatial interventions and inquiry, memory tracing and re-enactments, performative gestures and staged settings are featured as strategies to query what a building is and what it may become.

For more information:

http://www.surface-tension-site.net

http://www.g727.org

contact:
Adrian Rivas
g727.adrian@gmail.com or 213 627 9563

g727 and Latino Urban Forum present:

An exhibition about how to plan Los Angeles for a future without fossil fuels.

What will make that future desirable?

The Fifth Ecology : Los Angeles Beyond Desire

November 15th to December 12, 2009

Opening Reception: Sunday, November 15^th, 5pm to 9pm

Special public programs for this event will be announced through g727’s website.  www.g727.org

To join g727’s email list please subscribe by emailing us your information to g727.adrian@gmail.com.

A group of architects, planners, artists, landscape architects, engineers, writers and set designers at the Department of Architecture at the Royal University Collage of Fine Arts in Stockholm, Sweden created a strategic plan for the area where the Los Angeles River cuts through downtown. The strategy, called The Fifth Ecology, combines architecture and urban planning with an environmental focus, social sustainability and green-technologies. The proposed chain of urban places transforms the dysfunctional and infrastructural area of central Los Angeles into an energy producing, post-material public space with spectacular urban qualities.

The Department of Architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts runs a post-graduate program for graduates and professionals interested in art, architecture and urbanism. The course is a part of a three-year long project entitled Cities and Energy, which focuses on the question: How can our urban environments radically different points of departure be planned and designed for a future without fossil fuels? The course studies one city from each of the three most oil consuming economies in the world. The first year took on China and Shanghai, the second year Los Angeles and this fall the course is focusing on India and the city of Pune.

For more information please contact:

Björn Berglund, project leader bjorn.berglund@gmail.com / +46702891883

The exhibit is sponsored by Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, The Swedish Institute and The Consulate General of Sweden in Los Angeles.

November 15th – December 12th at Gallery 727,

View the entire project online at:

http://issuu.com/resources_08/docs/the_fifth_ecology

g727

727 South Spring Street

Los Angeles, CA

90014

213 627 9563

www.g727.org

Regular Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11am- 7pm

Selected Works

@

g727

727 South Spring Street

Los Angeles, CA 90014

http://g727.org

213 627 9563

Open during the Downtown Artwalk!

Thursday, September 10

12 – 9pm

Please join g727 during the Downtown Artwalk on Thursday, September 10 for a one-day sale of selected works of art.

g727 maintains committed to developing and maintaining a dynamic, long-term relationship between its artists, patrons, viewers and the gallery itself. g727 is a site for exchange, interaction and exploration of topics relating to art and urbanism and we focus on inter-disciplinary discussions relating the topics that concern us most as urban dwellers. g727 is a near profit space and your  support of our artists is appreciated and needed. A table will be set up to discuss g727’s programming and also why these works have been chosen for you consideration.

Works and Projects  by

Raul Baltazar

Carolina Caycedo

Gronk

Luis G. Hernandez

Gregory Michael Hernandez

Hugo Hopping

prvtdncr

James Rojas

Connie Samaras

Atentamente

Coordinación de Prensa
Centro Cultural Tijuana.
Tel. 664 687 96 80 y 81.

Carolina speaking at El Ágora del Centro Cultural Tijuana

See more pictures at the g727 facebook page.

Wednesday July 29th
I met with Autumn , Lisa, Kindred and Howie from the Echo Park Time Banks, at Flounce Vintage, Lisa’s store in EchoP Boul. I interviewed them, asking for the origins a year and a half ago of the EPTB. It was interesting how they explained how Time Banks doesn’t pretend to replace the monetary system, but more complement it and at the same time reinforce a sense of community. They were very honest by telling the mishappens, and difficulties they have gone through. I wish them best of lucks and strength They are a great inspiration for our own Time Bank endeavor in Puerto Rico.
After that straight to the gallery, to work on the installation and set up for Friday and Saturday. Rat Cat’s surprise packet arrived from San Francisco. I opened to find a jar full of granola. A bigger surprise came when I opened the jar to nibble on the granola, and touched a sort of plastic thing. I started pulling it out to find a double vacuum sealed fat 5 inch twig of fine herb. Made my day! After working hard with Papi in making the place great for the weekend, I went to Tano’s studio at USC to trade some of that fine herb for him lending his projector for the weekend. Went back home and had a good long night sleep.

Thursday July 30th
Met with York at Café Tropical, had coffee and guava cheese pastry over conversation about a more human and personal way of law practice. PATRIA O MUERTE compañero. Also talked about Angel Rama’s Ciudad Letrada and how the Visceral Realists practice relates to the power of written discourse and the building of credibility through words. I believe York, whatever you say or write I believe…
After that, more gallery tune up with Papi. Jessica Rath and little Emma came to pick up, choosing a wooden whistle for Emma, and we hanged out for a bit, while Emma made nice drawings.
Around 2 pm Matrix @ Berkeley Curator Elizabeth Thomas paid a visit, and brought in a selection of Matrix brochures for the barter tables. She commented on her intentions of opening the interstice between exhibitions at Matrix as a space for works in progress and experimentation/not necessarily objectual or finished art practices. Liz also brought news from Ted Purves.
Later I visited Mr. Chang’s studio. I had the luck to view all of Eugenia Paz’s work before its tragic disappearance, and other Visceral Realists pieces. I was taught guerrilla methods for inserting new contents in existing media. I received a dedicated ‘The Romantic Dogs’ book that made me feel beautifully special, as I hadn’t felt in quite a while. I gave some of that fine herb in return. And we headed for some maniac shrimp rolls and beer for lightweights. I do regret not accepting Mr. Changs of getting absolutely drunk that night. Mr. Chang was kind enough to escort me home, and when I was starting to feel lonely after he left, Papi texted Eastside Luv, which proved to be the perfect antidote. I did end absolutely intoxicated that night anyway, as Adrian and Pilar hosted the entire bar at an after party at their place. I met David, who owns the most amazing set of eyes in LA, and we danced to cumbia, reggaeton, salsa and disco until 5 am. Even the cops came!!! But Pilar managed to talk them away with her wonderful ways.

Friday July 31st
DROP OFF DAY. Difficulties to get up after all that meneo. However we managed with Adrian to go buy the drinks and arrive at the gallery in time to open for drop off day. People started to walk in at 1 pm. Fernando and Conchita from Casa de Sousa helped us with the food, deliciosos tamales, ensaladita and chips and salsa. And extra delicious home made chocolate treats. Asma and Dani from Nguzunguzu were in charge of the beats. Hats, rollerskates, services, clothes, art pieces, organic produce, books and more were brought in by generous Angelenos willing to trade with fellow citizens. Highlight of the day Patsi Valdez came, and stayed for the community talk. A nice ingredient was Gifford’s presence during the whole day. He is a working class historian from San Francisco who came for the Anarchist Conference, and was directed to the gallery by Vlad.
Community talk started at 6.45 with a small but avid audience of around 20. Good questions came after my presentation, my favorite: How would you describe LA? Full of creativity and with a considerable amount of autonomous initiatives. After Q & A we all stepped out to visit La Cholota and hang around her.
Back home I was almost falling in the claws of exhaustion when Tano called me. He talked me into going to a cumbia party at Torrance, so he picked me up and we got there to find a full Doris’ house, with an amazing crowd dancing to the cumbia of Buyepongo, a Colombian-mexican LA band leaded by Bardo. David was there, Ignacio and Hugo Hopping were also there and we left the place at 3 am!!!

Saturday August 1st
BIG BARTER DAY. After amazing breakfast with homemade salsa by Pilar, sausage tacos by Adrian and fresh orange juice by the lady at the gas station, we headed for the gallery to host the Big Barter day. Lots of people came to retrieve something, and in general it was a success. Patsi Valdez returned to gift me with a Walking Mural clock. I retrieved olive green gloves, and a woodblock Japanese print. Thanks to all those who participated and traded/helped/hosted/cared for me during my stance en la ciudad de nuestra señora de Los Angeles. You make me feel hope.
At 4.30 we jumped in La Cholota and headed towards 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, where PostAmerican L.A. exhibition curated by Pilar Tompkins was opening during Artnight. Pilar included my Mexicamericana flag in the show. At 18th st, La Cholota was reserved prime position at the parking lot right at the entrance and in front of the stage where conga master Francisco Aguabella was performing. La Cholota became a chill out space were people could sit down and chill, talk, exchange, have a Tecate (we were the only ones with Tecate that night) and watch the performance. I met gallerist Steve Turner and his wife Victoria in La Cholota.
After everything was over at 18th Street we headed to Tropico de Nopal, where Hugo Hopping showed me his dancing moves, very good by the way, and we all had a delightful end of the project celebration, dancing the night away to Mentiritas mixes.

Sunday August 2nd
Early wake up call by York. He picked me up and we went to the Pasadena swimming complex (built for the 1984 olympics). It is a beautiful place, roofless pools thriving with people young and old. We swam for a good 45 minutes, oh I was missing that underwater sensation, and then chilled in the hot Jacuzzi for a while. It was very relaxing and somehow sad at the same time, my days in LA were arriving to an end. Back home I had a phone conversation with Vlad who invited me to the 2nd day of the Anarchist Conference. But I didn’t find the strength to go. The last days I had been surrounded with people, and sometimes one needs to be lonely and silent.
Later I accompanied Pilar and Adrian to take their marriage paperwork to the Mission church, where I got hold of a Virgen de Regla stamp and some marriage prayer stamps for the happy couple. We then stopped by at the Municipal Gallery at Barnsdall where I met Edith Abeyta and Michael to discuss my intervention in the show they are curating for next January: Actions, Conversations, and Intersections.
After that, Adrian dropped Pilar and me at a Korean spa, where we got pampered and scrubbed and massaged as the goddesses we are. After 2 and a half hours of total disconnection, we took Adrian back home, to then return to Ktown to pamper our bellies with delicious Korean BBQ. Oh I slept amazingly well that night.

Monday August 3rd
Pilar and I woke up early, picked up Delaine at Union Station, and the Sandra de la Loza at her place, and we hit the road. Destination: TIJUANA.
On our way to TJ we stopped at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, where we met Fatima and Lucia Sanroman, and of course visited the exhibitions. It was nice to view work by Colombian artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso. I had never had a chance to see her vertical gardens until now.
After Pilar and Delaine checked in at their hotel in San Diego, we headed towards the border, parked, and crossed by foot. The sudden change of panorama is incredible. I never thought the contrast would be so obvious and blatant. After Sandra and me checked in our hotel, we headed for a quick snack and a margarita.
We then walked to the CECUT, which was the reason for our visit to TJ. My friend Fran Illich that works at the literature department there invited me to host a book barter and give a talk about DAYTODAY. Once at the CECUT we hooked up with Fran and his girlfriend Jennifer Sternad, a once LA dweller that has found a niche in Latin America, specially Buenos Aires and now TJ.
I took a look at El Agora where the book barter was going to take place, and then we checked the books Fran had been saving for the book barter for a month since his invitation. A lot of editions from the CECUT itself, and many interesting historical and poetry books that were part of the disappeared reading room.
After that the girls and me went dinning, and Fran and Jen joined us later. When dinner was over Pilar and Delaine returned to the US, and Fran, Jen, Sandra and me went driving around. Tijuana looks like Cali, Colombia to me, a city that has seen better days. We ended at the red light district, in a quiet bar called nelsons, after a shot of Tequila we went back to the hotel and had a good night rest.

Tuesday August 4th
I was early at the CECUT where boxes of books were awaiting to be bartered. I arranged them nicely at the multiple wooden platforms of the Agora, and to my surprise, a good number people started to walk in for book bartering. The girls picked me up for lunch, we wanted to go to playitas but the taxi driver told us traffic was going to be impossible due to road repairs, so instead he took us to a seafood place in town. It was a good choice. The food was absolutely delicious and fresh. At the end of our meal the waiters gave us a tasting of their special Vibora tequila, yep, tequila spiced with rattle snakes. They assured us it would make us immune against cancer, so I didn’t take any chances and swallowed my vibora tequila shot, which was amazingly good. I felt the power of the rattlesnake entering each drop of my blood, ssssssssssssss. They nice waiters also gave as a red rose to each of us before we left. Snakes and roses from Tijuana.
Back at the Cecut the book barter was on fire, people had been bringing in considerable amounts of books, and each person started to display them in their own little niche, so several little ‘puesticos’ of books sprouted at the Agora. Participants kept asking when would be next book barter. Hopefully the Cecut follows up with Fran’s initiative and transforms the book barter into a periodical event. The talk had a good audience who were interested enough in making some questions and acute commentaries about the possibilities of communal land owning. After the talk we went straight back to Los Angeles. Crossing the border was a 30 minutes thing; apparently tourism has decreased an 80%.
On my way back to LA, David texted me and we agreed to hang out at wildness night. Back home Reina was waiting for me with a dedicated and signed book of her poetry: Santa Perversa and other erotic poems. While I got ready for wildness, Reina delighted us by reading some of the poems. I gave her the Yemaya stamp I had picked at the Mission Church. David picked me up and I met Asma, Dani, Tano and Sayre at the silver platter. During these 5 weeks in LA I broke a dance hunger that had been punishing me for the last 5 years! After a good dance sesh, I said goodbye to my dear friends. That was my last night in LA.

Wednesday August 5th
David kindly took me to the airport, and I flew back home to my daughter in Puerto Rico.

Carolina’s map of LA at g727

Items to be bartered

See more pictures at the g727 facebook page.

That night I met with Kristin from www.kristinslist.net, at her place in Los Feliz. It was a pleasant coincidence to come back to this part of the city, precisely to the same road where Elana lives. Can you believe that I parked La Cholota at the same exact spot under the ….tree, where I had parked a few days ago when I met Elana? At Kristin’s I discovered her photography, we chatted about past loves and then went for a walk down Hillhurst all the way to Carpaccio’s. We had wood oven pizza and salad, and we decided the best way to improve her Spanish conversation was to watch Latin American and Spanish movies with subtitles, so I recommended a few.

Saturday July 25th

I arrived very on time at 9 am at Christine and Tait’s crib in Hollywood. We took Sunset Boulevard towards Malibu, and finally I had peek into the other city, the star city, the opulent neighborhood of Beverly Hills. No commentaries, except that luxury is a crime. Malibu was sparkling with a beautiful swell and surfers could be seen by the hundreds in and out of the water. We stopped at SurfRider, where Tait surfed, while Christine and me hanged out in some private beach until the tide washed us out. We were to practice some Spanish with Tait, but the only word we commented on was ‘estacionamiento’. It is a big issue here in LA anyway. We then stopped at Malibu’s seafood spot to have some fried and grilled fish. You can recognize the joint because it has a sunbathing lobster with dark shades.

That night Bob and Edith hosted a beer tasting party at their garden in Echo Park. Bob home brews include Mexican ale, English pale ale, irish stout *yummy* and apple cider. I was drained by the earlier sun and just couldn’t connect with the crowd, Hector and Ani form the potlach party were there, but i was so tired, I retired early. But before going to bed Adrian, Pilar and me stopped briefly at Conchita and Fernando’s Casa de Sousa en Olvera street. La Santa Cecilia was playing, and it was a wonderful musica to discover. Casa de Sousa is a cozy, familiar and traditional spot that serves the most amazing vegan food, has been there for over 60 years, and it is facing and fighting shameful eviction. Why? My theory is that Siquieros happened to do a mural right on top of them, in the same building decades ago, and now, the Getty wants to restore it and build an observation platform. For this, all merchants in the building have to go for the sake of art. Most probably also because the Placita Olvera is golden real estate, and rents right know are not that high…In any case to read more about it check

http://laeastside.com/2009/07/casa-de-sousa-getting-evicted/

and support Casa de Sousa to keep it being a hub for community gathering and activism.

Sunday 26th July

Met with Adam Katz at helped him transport some furniture around town. In return he gave me a new wetsuit, peach wine from his yard tree and a copy of the book he edited: Tattered Fragments of the map. He suggested the idea of opening a Public School in Puerto Rico, after I told him that this will probably be the last time I do Daytoday within an art context, and that I was looking forward to get back home and work in my own community, without any art or aesthetic implications, just mere social practice, real life, common sense.

I then headed to Los Feliz to meet newborn Luca and his mom Adriana, who was looking amazingly well after 4 days of giving birth. I love to see strong, loving, beautiful and caring women, feeling proud and empowered by motherhood. Luca is a cutie and I felt lucky to see how he learned the pacifier ways in my presence.

After that I headed to Koreatown to set foot in the Ecovillage. I met with Joe Linton whom I interviewed about the history and present dynamics of the Ecovillage. We also traded once again: A copy of his ‘down by the Los Angeles river guide book’ for my ‘Marc emery almanac.

I didn’t stay at the potluck that evening, because I went to yet another one, a dessert one to be more specific, hosted by the Echo Park Time Banks and the Filmmobile. At the silverlake resevoir the Echo Park Film Center was presenting an outdoor screening of 2009 documentary “Coming Home: E.F. Schumacher and the Reinvention of the Local Economy” by Chris Bedford. Mr. bedford happens to be Kristin’s father, one of the first persons who contacted me once I arrived in LA. Autum and Lisa for Time Banks were there, as well as Ari whom I met at the Gallery before. The people from the fimmobile had crossed my path at the farmlab a few weeks ago, and Sandra de la Loza also passed by. Finnally Adonia and Bobby form ciclavia and ecovillage dropped by, alerted by me a few hours ago.

This was a special night for me, not only because the film is amazing and much in the line of what my everyday concerns are and what I am doing here in LA, but also because some people I met during the last 3 weeks were there. I understood that what I have been doing in this city so far is weaving together a tapestry of experiences and persons. And I don’t mean weaving a new tapestry all together, but more like weaving a new color, a new thread into an already rich and multiple layered fabric of community networks, non profit organizations, conscious individuals, creative collectives, anarchist city dwellers and revolutionary thinkers, that share. Yes that’s it, that simply share. What do they share?, well first of all the public space of Los Angeles, second, their time and resources, and finally but not less important ideals and ideas and actions on how to relate to others and inhabit the city in a way that allows less dependency on the system.

Monday July 28th

I spent the day at the gallery working on inviting people for the weekend events. Jessica and little Emma came by to retrieve there objects, as they cannot make it on saturday. Jessica had brought in a print she made of an Ikebana arrangement, and two hematite necklaces she made. In return she took a wooden whistle for Emma, a Shanty Sounds CD and the lyrics of a colombian lullaby ‘Arepitas de maiz tostado, para papa que esta acostado’. After chinese lunch with Adrian, I sent surprise packet to RatCat, whom had contacted me from San Francisco, for barter. But as it proved imposible for us to meet, we decided on doing surprise swap packets over postal mail. Her’s should arrive today or tomorrow.

Later we headed to 18th street in Santa Monica to see how Pilar’s curated show is coming through. The opening is on saturday. I met Ashley Hunt who was working on his fabulous collective flow chart on immigration and economics. Hugo Hopping was also there illuminating his mmmm, installation, or probably just illuminating us with his presence, and Sandra was also installing. After that we had jerk caribbean food nearby, and then Pilar and I strolledfor a bit through the Santa Monica promenade, looking for the newest flash art magazine. I cant seem to find it anywhere!!!!