Since I have a bit of free time tonight, I suppose I will post again to make up for the lack of posting the past few weeks.
“Free Time” is kind of a lie seeing as how I have to have a book of the process/documentation of the last project done by Monday. I also have a Physics exam on Monday. I also have 2 Structures homeworks due on Tuesday. And I have to write twelve 500 word Theory papers by Wednesday. And I have the first assignment of the new studio project due on Tuesday. And I work three days a week. So “Free Time” is total bullshit.
I have put off the Theory papers but kind of have the topics sorted out. I am writing them about things/movements that I like. My first one is about the Sex Pistols and Situationism, and there is one comparing Lars Von Trier and the Dogme 95 collective to the early modernists. And then I have to force myself to write about Postmodernism, not a favorite subject of mine. I’m gonna get drunk and do 6 of these tomorrow night.
But first. Tomorrow morning I have 5 or 6 friends coming over to watch Mi Vida Loca which is the first step of our new assignment. Our site is in Echo Park, so obviously we have to watch it. I haven’t seen it in probably 10 years and I am looking forward to seeing it again. Then we have to go to Echo Park and walk around and… I’ll just paste the text directly from the assignment PDF:
In this first assignment of your final project you will be given a site in the cosmopolitan L.A. neighborhood of Echo Park.
Located near Downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park is comprised of a myriad of housing typologies, ethnicities, and socioeconomic
groups. Described by locals as “Urban gritty, not Westside prettyâ€, Echo Park has more-or-less resisted
gentrification and has successfully maintained a diverse catalogue of art groups, musicians, eateries, and religious
institutions. It is also one of the densest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and also arguably has a shortage of new housing
stock.
Your site is located on the NW corner of Echo Park and Park Avenues. It’s frontage on Park makes it a direct neighbor to
Echo Park, home to numerous film shoots, joggers, murders, and the Annual Lotus Festival. On the weekend the park
comes alive with impromptu gatherings, street vendors, and boaters, who navigate around the lake in small paddle boats.
The neighborhood is also home to the Angelus Temple, once the site of Aimee Simple McPherson’s Pentecostal Ministry.
In addition, and ideally prior to your visit, you are required to view the film Mi Vida Loca (1993).
As you view the film, attempt to make connections with your knowledge of the physical and cultural landscape of Echo
Park as you see it today. What aspects of the urban landscape have remained and what has been altered over the past
15 years? Attempt to identify the moments of friction within the neighborhood.
For your first assignment you will visit the site over the weekend on a self-guided tour and will write a short synopsis of
your excursion. This piece of observational journalism shall contain at least 4 images of elements you feel are
descriptive of the local context. You must also construct 1 collage of your experience using no less than 4 pieces of
debris collected from your trip. At least two of these must consist of the following:
1) A piece of a band flyer from the local Indie record shop Sea Level Records.
2) A photo (taken in context) of your favorite drink/food item at either the local diner, The Brite Spot, or the Coffee Shop Masa
(Both are located on Sunset Blvd. near the site).
Note: Collage does not mean a simple arrangement of objects; please see the attached Richard Meier collage for an example of the
technique.Also a text of 400 words describing your perceptions of the site/context must be prepared. You will then distill the same
text down to 40 words, and then choose 4 words that aptly describe your urban experience at the site. These 4 words
should be integrated into your collage (you should turn in the original text + the distilled elements as a separate work
