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Scene From Above: A Free Rooftop Dance, Theater, & Visual Art Event
Scene From Above photo by Jim Self, courtesy of the artist
It's the summer. You can feel the heat. The sun beats down on the hot pavement. Many people head out of town for their break from the regular grind. Lots of folks are hanging at the beach. But, a group of local artists are heading for the roof.
Calling it “Scene From Above,” USC Theater prof Eric Trules and Cornell U. Dance teacher Jim Selfhave organized a low-tech event that lines up visual artists from the 1019 WEST studios, local thespians and dancers for a four hour parade of art presented on this rooftop very near to the LAX runways on Friday, August 10.
Conceived as a means of communicating with incoming planes and their passengers, the masters of ceremonies invited a diverse group of artists to interact with the skies and reach for the moon. The list of participants sending messages to the above include Kiki Seror, Jeff Peters, Jim Self (himself), Martin Durazo, Hassan Christopher, Keith Glassman, Arianne MacBean, Angelina Attwell, Sarah Culberson, Max Eugene, Eliza Pfister, Rafael Esparza, Eric Trules (also himself), Sue Kiel and many more. With working titles like “Promenade,” “Dada Invoke” and “Umbrella Improvisation,” the action starts at 5:00 pm and the performances end with projections in the darkness of night beginning at 8:00 pm.
The creators are keeping the event very visitor friendly, allowing for viewers to come and go at their discretion (think of it as an ongoing installation), with no admission charge. There’s plenty of street parking and a stairway to the heavens. Sounds just right for an LA summer night!
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