An ongoing interactive installation and multimedia project regarding the The Los Angeles River which also seeks to facilitate dialogue, education and community building for The People that Run (Walk, Bike, Drive, Live and Breathe) Through Los Angeles.
On Saturday July 31, 2010 as part of Perform Now! Vlatka Horvat performed an 8 hour performance piece in the Los Angeles River titled "This Here and That There" from 9am-5pm. The performance was well choreographed and meditative as she rearranged compositions of chairs under the Fletcher Bridge with a backdrop of DWP electrical towers. Kudos to Vlatka...and I hope she was able to get some rest afterwards.
One of the reasons I love being at the River is the confluence of lovely people. Sitting on the River I met Inouk Demers. If you are interested in water policy please take a look at Inouks' project called Conveyance. Inouk is a sound artist who has undertaken this fabulous project surrounding water policy specific to Los Angeles. Just a little thing I learned from Inouk, who is from Canada, is that one of the aspects of NAFTA states that water is a natural resource which can be traded as a commodity. Another interesting consideration: Do you know how many days a human being can live without drinking water? After a little research, this is what i found considering variables in climate: 120 degrees Fahrenheit gives you 2 days while temperatures between 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit allows you 10 days...and you best be in shade!
On July 29, 2010 LA Beyond Cars opened at the Jewel Box Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. The exhibition is a multi media presentation offering ideas and concepts behind High Speed rail and how it will be integrated into Los Angeles along with proposed urban landscapes of the future. Here is the link for the exhibit running through August: http://railla.org/2184
The exhibit drew enthusiasts from all walks of life interested in one thing: how do we plan to move about in this congested metropolis and what are the proposals, visions and solutions being offered? This exhibit is sponsored by Rail LA so it is focusing on High Speed Rail which California will be given $2.25 billion dollars in funding by the Federal Government. Want to get from Downtown to San Francisco in 2 hours and 38 mins? Check out the website for High Speed Rail from Maps to News: http://cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/ More on this topic later. For now, check out some pics from the opening night and take a trip to see what your city can look like in the near future.
LA Beyond Cars Exhibit - Jewel Box Theater - 525 S. Flower Street. Los Angeles, CA
City of the Future - Los Angeles circa 2106 , Eric Owen Moss Architects Presentation by Park 101. How about green space floating above the 101 so you can bask in the sunlight and create community space?
Interactive landscape of Los Angeles by James Rojas.
Film loop still on what a High Speed Rail station will look like. (Alex Thompson's and my head not included).
Etymology: Latin plasticus of molding, from Greek plastikos, from plassein to mold, form
Date: 1632
From the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Can we mold or form our habits to NOT use plastic bags because of our addiction to convenience? Research indicates that plastic has at least the same shelf life as a Twinkie and possibly a longer half-life than uranium. The truth is nobody knows how long it takes for plastic to completely biodegrade, nobody has been around long enough to witness it. Either way, you should get the picture, it is not a good thing. (Please do not tell me about the jobs it creates...i have already lost my voice screaming and may have to resort to exaggerated twitching which can get very ugly). Even partially starch based biodegradable plastic will have done the damage to marine life by the time it breaks down in five months.
So what the heck is a person to do? For starters, just take a reusable bag with you to the store. Always. Have one with you at all times, whether you are on bike, bus, foot, train, taxi, car or airplane....just like a tampon, they can be small and tucked away. (Yes, tampons without a plastic insertion thingamajigee).
Are you completely devastated by the BP oil spill and find yourself posting about it on Social Networking sites, wishing you could stuff Wall Street Bankers, BP CEO's or Sarah Palin down the pipe? Well, plastic bags need petroleum to be produced. Enough said.
Keep yourself up to date on AB1998 - A bill started by Assembly Member Julia Brownley of Santa Monica.
Check out the below to take action and educate yourself more:
The 10th Annual Los Angeles River Ride is coming up in June! Come out and enjoy a bike ride and support organizations that advocate for cycling in the city! Depending on what you consider a bicycle to be, the first precursor to a bicycle called a celerifere was invented in 1790 in France, the second which you used your feet to push off the ground was invented in 1818 in Germany, the last form which utilized petals and cranks was invented in France circa 1860-1861. Riding a bike is not only fun and great for mental and physical health, but a way to get around in this congested city. People all over the world use bicycles as a form of getting from point A to point B, C, D and so on. Come out for the LA River ride and support organizations who are working to make the streets accessible and safe for those who use these two wheeled inventions to move about!
On Thursday April 1, 2010 from 3:00-6:oo pm there will be a symposium regarding the High Speed Rail and the Los Angeles River...birds of all feathers will be speaking. Check the link below to RSVP....it's free...and go so you know if a there are plans for a train to bisect your living room.
On Saturday July 31, 2010 as part of Perform Now! Vlatka Horvat performed an 8 hour performance piece in the Los Angeles River titled "This Here and That There" from 9am-5pm.
