A couple of days ago I was hanging out with my friend Malik Diamond when we decided we wanted some Vitos Pizza.  Always the philosopher Malik pointed out that he had never really been to the heart of Hollywood, the heart being the residential neighbrhoods that house the people we depend on.  These are the poeple that flip our burgers, drive our busses, cook our meals, haul our trash, connect our calls and drive our ambulances. They guard us while we sleep.  He pointed out some psychodelic mural the corner of Willoughby and Gower saying this is where the beauty of Hollywood lies.

This reminded me of the Hollywood Shadow Project.

Completed in October 2001, the Hollywood Shadow Project was a series of seven installations dispersed throughout production areas of Hollywood. The designs were derived from stills of familiar and iconic movie scenes. At sunset, the sun passes through these sculptures and casts shadows on adjacent buildings. The intention was to evoke memory, as it is constituted through pictures and movies, and re-present this memory on the site of its invention: Hollywood. All of the sites incorporate buildings and businesses involved in making movies. It is also significant that the sculpture silhouettes were captured via optical means and are then reprojected here via the sun, which offers both light and motion.  Solar powered public art if you will. The movie scenes included The Wild Bunch, Warlock, North by Northwest, The Magnificent Seven, 1 Million Years B.C., Easy Rider and “The End” credit from Casa Blanca.

Sadly, only two remain.  I don’t know why they have been removed but its really a shame.  We visited both sculptures

Santa Monica at Wilcox

Cahuenga at Waring

Citrus at Melrose (no longer exists)

This past weekend was full of events and things to do.  There are weekends where I struggle to find stuff to do then there are weekend where I don’t have enough time to squeeze in all I want to do.

As I mentioned in an earlier post this weekend had the East Hollywood Earth Day Festival and an Art Gallery Fundraiser in Chinatown.  What I forgot to mention was the LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA.  I somehow managed to do a little of all three.

First I attended the East Hollywood Earth Day Festival at the Vermont/Santa Monica Metro Station.  I got to see lots of friends and a few musical performances as well as one Aztec Dancing group which is always fun to watch.

At the festival the EHNC also dedicated a tree in honor of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink who was tragically assassinated in 2007.

After a little fun in the East Hollywood sun I was off to Chinatown and the Chinatown Art Walk.  This quarterly event has some fantastic galleries in Chung King Court off of Hill Street.   With over 35 art galleries in Chinatown this event is one of the better art walks in LA if not the best rivaling that of the Downtown variety.  My interest in this event was a fundraiser I helped produce at the Fifth Floor Gallery.  Over 500 people came through the gallery looking at and buying art from various artists from around the world benefiting Empowerment Works and their Global Summit as well as their Grassroots Orphan Care Program in Zimbabwe.

After a well needed few hours of sleep I went down to UCLA Sunday morning to catch the Festival of Books.  Unfortunately I did not get a chance to see any of my favorite authors and the discussion panels I was interested in were either too late or already filled.  I did manage to buy a new book by Kevin J. Anderson “The Edge of the World” and I am anxiously awaiting the release of  “The Winds of Dune” later this year.

I leave you with a few more pictures from my weekend.  Enjoy.

1st is the East Hollywood Earth Day Festival that will take place Saturday and Sunday April 25/26 at the Vermont / Santa Monica Metro Station in wonderful East Hollywood.  This event will have live music, green booths and more.  This event will also have a satellite location at the Cahuenga Branch Library located at 4591 Santa Monica Blvd just a few blocks East of the main festival where there Voices from Chernobyl will be performed at 1pm and later at 5pm on Saturday starring good friend Enci.

2nd is an event that I helped coordinate, The Empowerment Works, Humanity Uniting; Gallery Event located at Fifth Floor Gallery in Chinatown.  This event coincides with the quarterly Chinatown Art Walk and is a fundraiser for the Empowerment Works’ Orphan Care Program in Zimbabwe.

Displayed will be art by Carolina Marchiori, Michelle Carmen Gomez, Hieronymus, Rebecca Setareh, Aaron Edelson, Mike Chamness, Cathy Wysocki, Kevin Balluff, Rebecca Elswit, Bonnie Munoz, Toufic Beyhum, Nancy Mungcal, Renee Barron, Dana Arak, Sara Sikich, and more!

DJ Nero will be spinning and there will be drinks served by Transphusion.

Both events are free to the public.  Hope to see some of you there.

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