LAist: Silver Lake Cares

Lorenzofaz

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:14:45 -0800

From last evening's talk with Stephon Lew, owner-musician of Solutions.. --who designed and produced the art logo of the original Solutions Wall (that Elliott's fans have adopted as The Elliott Smith Memorial Wall) --here are his basic edited comments on the repainting and restoration now being conducted by Elliott's fans: (Solutions located at 4334 Sunset Los Angeles, Ca. 90029) "I wished and accepted a continuous flow of good spirit--as much as Elliott's fans' could place of their expressions on the Wall over the many years--- but the layerings of the fans' art invited other larger, overbearing, and then --even more irrelevant, and random "Other Art"----. Art-upon-art is possible --up to a point---just as politics upon politics----but then, nothing much can soon be seen or felt or offer happiness as it becomes complex. ....nothing is fixed or gained by one frame of words or a picture. It is no longer art when it is hurtful and others leave hoping they can erase or better express other people's feelings. The "Solutions Wall" --"Elliott's Wall" --The Memorial Wall"---became a blackboard inviting even censors and seemed never to have fixed anyone's personal hurt,.......It is a super good memory, though--and to bring back the Wall's original art in the way that Elliott saw it ---is a real treasure---now we all can again imagine Elliott wobbling up to the wall and stomping upon the art on the concrete in front of the Wall. The words and expressions of all of Elliott's fans will still exist, ---still in place, under the newest layer of artwork-- alike the way Elliott and other musicians had embraced its original energy. The original art of the Solutions wall represents the Figure S, not an 8 .. Essentially, I intended the "S"olutions logo as a energetic splay of the five music lines typical of music song paper, so the S encompasses the whole building. It expands and flops downward into a colorful swirl to splatter onto the concrete sidewalk-to embrace all musicians and to invite them to let me solve some of their problems with their broken instruments, drums, guitar, amplifiers, stereos, and speakers----- even some of Elliot's equipment. In the original form, the Wall somehow allowed anyone to take in its energy-givingness and become inspired----and only someone as artistic as Elliott could think of it being related to an 8, I guess....the other Chinese- lucky number is 6.---that's in Solutions' phone number of almost 70 years! In any case, I am happy that Elliott , who had lived in the neighborhood, embraced the design and its energy. I intended the art on the wall for all musicians and all their fans, ....for everyone. I.... ..... is the picture of the Wall on the morning of Feb 25 somewhere?...yes, at :. http://laist.com/attachments/la_zach/elliotsmithwall-graffiti.jpg The picture of Elliott fans restoring the music lines and swirl: http://laist.com/attachments/OsMutante/smithwall.jpg This is so good of them ...Wow. thank you! AND, .... there is more intended, related art to be formed on the Wall...to be placed at the upper west top area that I will probably make later this year...---an Elliott fan is currently working on this new wonderful addition at the top right corner of the Wall where the Solutions sihlouette of musical instruments begins. ....so I cannot allow any protective plastic coating except at the lower half of the Wall. If the fans really want to take a picture with their expression and thoughts..., maybe someone can make a plastic film with a see-through frame so everyone can temporarily place in phot position to marker-up and even take with them after a photo shoot? Actually, Elliott's artists used a computer program to add on the words "Figure 8" on the album cover. The wall never had the word title "Figure 8" on it. The original art of the Wall that I designed and completed decades ago required the talents and ideas of Cheri Ramey and Frank Duarte, my commerical artists, then. It was a personal celebration of the music that was around me and this building's repair and recording/rehearsal businesses that are known together as "Solutions"--My continuing objective for the Wall is to let it act and evolve as a beacon or reminder....to call upon all concerned...to help find and make the good music that is not yet around us-- that had not even been around Elliott, ----even then, perhaps... Let me clarify some rumours.... These are my dreams: I plan to place an electronic object of importance....a 5 foot 7 inch tall monument (of Elliott's size--with two loudspeakers at the base of the monument to represent his two big shoes) formed from crushed electronics parts ---to play and to identify Elliott's musical influences (Elliott's hobby, I hear, was to experiment with electronics to make music tone)---to have the monument --emanate new energy and the many solutions that music can provide. I will present the statue-monument as "Art in-front-of Art"---at where Elliot stood for the Figure 8 album cover photo--- Many fans have promised to help me complete this in due time...after next winter, perhaps.....I plan, with the help of Elliott's fans..., to also place along the two foot ground area in front of the Wall.... a removable display (video or otherwise) of all his lyrics---not placed on the vertical Wall--- but at the ground base...somehow.....and those of the Beatles or other music groups that influenced Elliott ----I hope that when one visits the Wall Area, we all will just smile.. ..and walk away with the happiest of an ice-cream-type closure---- to be able to take with you more of Elliott's true vibrations and the beauty of other bands' music ---. This is just a dream. --Thank you! Stephon

ishXdavid

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:11:37 -0800

A good deterrent would be a public amputation of a tagger's hand.

ishXdavid

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:11:27 -0800

A good deterrent would be a public amputation of a tagger's hand.

jolsada

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:26:46 -0800

we should all write into the city council and tell em to put up a camera or something nearby...especially since mcdonalds is there im sure they wouldnt mind it since thats a huge franchise too

jolsada

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:24:13 -0800

letting us all write on the wall was so nice of them at Solutions. Whether positive/negative feedback, theyre just good people and they do great repairs! (Just dont bring in your cruddy equiptment haha)....We should def just go in and ask if we can rewrite on the wall...Cuz i feel bad it looks great now!

Zach Behrens

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:56:54 -0800

ah, fixed! http://laist.com/2007/09/20/youre_walking_i.php

jrb

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:29:15 -0800

Zach, I get "page not found" at your link.

Zach Behrens

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:21:49 -0800

jamesey, we're not sure if this is a result of the article earlier in the day. But we sure would like to think so! If anyone knows, do share!

jamesey

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:57:33 -0800

was this a result of LAISTs article? What else do we need LAIST to fix around the city?

Elise Thompson

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:29:05 -0800

No, you're supposed to dye your hair Yuca and eat at Pink Taco! Really, this is a touching show of community. Glad you were there to capture it.

galaxiekat

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:22:17 -0800

how about just leaving it a mural. no more notes to the dead, no bombs, no nothing? just a thought.

Zach Behrens

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:20:05 -0800

ratpicnic, remember this video of the talking graffiti cameras in the Valley? http://laist.com/2007/09/20/yourae_awalking_i.php

thecoloured

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:54:22 -0800

i say a good old plexiglass covering should do the trick. eh?

ratpicnic

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:58:09 -0800

Maybe a recording that every three minutes, between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am, says "The police have been called, your illegal actions have been reported"? Yeah? haha?

Ryanicus

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:47:20 -0800

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1326/1177946073_f69dff21a9_b.jpg I still will miss all the notes that people have written on that mural.

luanbai

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:45:55 -0800

Cameras provoke taggers most of the time. Whenever we have tried to put up cameras for our store, the knock them down, spray over the lens or break them somehow. Were trying to figure out a way. Try and thank the owners of the store whenever you can, it is their wall.

ratpicnic

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:36:31 -0800

Maybe they should put up cameras? Does that ever deter taggers?

Zach Behrens

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:09:26 -0800

Great job Oz! 90039, let's hope not!

90039

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:46:58 -0800

5 bucks says it gets bombed tonight. thanks for wiping the slate clean.