Results tagged “publicspace”

It's not only Echo Park who is getting major kudos from the American Planning Association, the 3.5 mile long Santa Monica Beach was named as one of the Great Public Spaces in America today. "The designation stems from the beach's commitment to accessibility, environmental stewardship and historic preservation, and maintaining its distinctive character," their report says which introduces the space as "the birthplace of 'beach culture,' a place where human theater unfolds daily against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. For nearly 120 years, Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, California, has been the dynamic link between the natural and man-made worlds, providing equal access to all who wish to congregate near this part of the coast."

Guerilla gardening is largely thought to have its roots in England, where folks have long planted unexpected gardens in neglected public spaces as a sort of call to action that highlights the misuse of land and repurposes it into something beautiful. They often work in crews or teams and go on carefully-planned gardening missions. Recently a local team of guerilla gardeners transformed a section of land next to an off-ramp of the 101 Hollywood Freeway.

          

Earlier we did an interview with director Jon Reiss about his graffiti documentary, Bomb It. Here we offer a gallery of photos featuring some of the work and artists featured in the film from all over the world. If you really want to get your graffiti fix on, check out the Bomb It Flickr site.

In 1999, director Jon Reiss brought the electronic/rave scene to audiences with the documentary feature Better Living Through Circuitry. Reiss now returns with another kinetic documentary, this time exploring the controversial art of graffiti in Bomb It. Shot with vivid colors and set to an energetic soundtrack, the film investigates the history of graffiti while profiling artists all over the globe. Featuring old school legends and current favorites such as Taki 183, Cornbread, Stay High 149, T-Kid, Cope 2, Zephyr, Revs, Os Gemeos, KET, Chino, Shepard Fairey, Revok, and Mear One, the production shot in the United States, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Japan. Rather than just a slide show of graffiti examples, Bomb It is an explosive kaleidoscope of artists showing where the state of public space and personal voice sometimes clash and coexist. From sunny townships to dark serpentine tunnels, the film takes audiences along for the ride on guerrilla tagging missions and painting parties.

A small patch of land in Silver Lake is about to learn its fate, as are the residents and officials who have been debating about what to do with it for close to ten years.