One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Video: Echo Park's Phantasma Gloria Artist Explains His Massive, Glass Sculpture
A new short documentary introduces us to Randy Lawrence and the massive, enchanting glass sculpture that now takes up the front lawn of his Echo Park home.
Randyland comes from Two-Ninety Film and Matthew Kaundart, who previously brought us a similar doc on cardboard artist Calder Greenwood. Kaundart tells LAist that Randyland is part of a short film series called The Rolodex that explores Los Angeles' "underground community of artists, educators and nontraditional thinkers."
"I'm most interested in documenting individuals that have a unique perspective on the world—an outlook that might not be easily understood. The mission of each film is to cram the audience inside the skull of that artist and experience the world through their eyes. By having access to a new outlook and perspective, I'm hoping viewers will be able to empathize with each film's character in a very real way," Kaundart said.
Randy has an effervescent personality from the second he appears on screen. He has created what he calls the Phantasma Gloria at 'Randyland,' his home in Echo Park. This is Randy's fourth big sculpture, and takes its inspiration from the Virgin of Guadalupe.
"Although I'm not an orthodox believer myself, nevertheless, she kept pestering me in my waking hours, 'build me, build me, build me!' And I thought, 'putting a 30-foot virgin in your front yard, how can I not do it?'" Randy says in the film.
The sculpture is made of steel, glass and water, though it's much more complicated than that, as Randy cheerfully explains. The sculpture interacts with the sun, reflecting the world around it in each colorful glass vessel.
Sponsored message
According to Atlas Obscura, Randy has been working on the piece for over 10 years. You can keep up with Randy's work via the Randyland Facebook page.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
