A couple of video clips from Osborn’s Park(ing) day park last week.
I made a little ambient soundtrack of cow noises and crickets and birds so everyone could get a feel for the pasture. I the first video here you can hear it a little bit.
And a few photos for good measure. We had a great time out there, telling people about parking day, and giving out the cow balloons and flowers at the end of the day. The only problem for me was that I didn’t get to bike around LA to check out all the other parks around town. I will have to be satisfied with the summary of this years event on their web site.
John and I have been finalizing the English to Korean translations for my video project (i dream in your language – to be shown at SoundWalk on Oct. 3) and I am realizing how nuanced this whole process is. With four bilingual friends helping, we ended up with several slightly varying interpretations of the interview with Jonggeon Lee. So far I have 5 more interviews to translate, and several more to shoot. The project is becoming bigger than I imagined, and I am excited about it – enjoying the process, and trying to figure out how represent it in this piece or in another one. i dream in your language began at VSC when I saw that Le Kinh Tai was using google translate, which is often inaccurate, to communicate with all the rest of the residents. This morning Jeremy sent me an article about the UN interpretation process, which also seems to sometimes result in inaccuracies. Sounds Dangerous.
If any of you speak multiple languages in addition to English and want to participate in this project let me know. I still would like to interview people speaking German, French, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi (Nicole I will interview you in Nov.), Japanese, Tagalog, and any Eastern European and/or African languages/dialects… I ask three questions in English and you respond in your native language (or language of preference): 1. Where are you from and what languages do you speak? 2. What is it like to communicate with people who don’t speak your native language? 3. What language(s) do you dream in?
Friday Sept, 18th PARK(ing)* Day LA happens once again around Los Angeles. At Osborn we will set up a park on Brand Blvd. in Glendale to dream of a Bucolic Tomorrow – complete with hammock, meadow and cows. Sort of. If you have the time, explore the various parks scattered around town (It makes a great bike excursion) and stop by ours to say hello. Check PARK(ing) day LA’s website and map for more information and locations.
*I do not understand why designers need to break up words with brackets or parenthesis or inappropriate capitalization and I think it’s gotten out of hand.
The whole nomination of Sarah Palin has seemed like a joke to me, a sleazy effort by McCain to seem like a “maverick.” “Ooh look – I took a chance. I hired a woman! I’m just as progressive as Obama. I’m with it.” (Hear Saddam Hussein as portrayed in the South Park movie with out the homosexual undertones, he is republican after all). Whatever old man. The rest of the women in this country are not fooled.
Today while driving home from work, I thought I had missed the march, that the heavy traffic through downtown was just the tail end. I came home and went about my business, but later when I turned on the TV, I learned that the American Apparel marchers were heading down Alameda. The news reporter called them “a splinter group” that had illegally marched without a permit off the planned route. I guess she didn’t recognize their Legalize LA t-shirts and it didn’t occur to her that they were probably just heading back to work at the factory. I had the sudden urge to join them. They were at Alameda and 1st. I looked for my sign from the march in 2006, grabbed my phone, my ID, debit card and keys, (what else could I need?) and ran out the door. I got to the corner of Alameda and third just as the group was passing through the intersection. I stood at the corner short of breath, holding my sign as high as I could. I got some stares, a few honks and some glares from the numerous cops. Once they passed through the intersection, I ran across the street to join them. I asked one woman holding her child, “Vamos a American Apparel?” after she looked confused when I asked in English. She smiled and said “yes” and I kept walking. Soon a young guy ran up to me and asked if could talk to me. He said he is writing for the American Apparel blog. He was shocked and thrilled to see a white person amongst them. I told him my story and reasons for being there, that I was told that my great-grandmother came here on a fake passport. Who knows if it is completely accurate, but regardless she left Eastern Europe in search of a better life – how is that any different? We agreed this is not a Latino issue, it is an American issue and that South and Central America are still America. Wilmer gave me a bottle of water and recorded a sound bite for his blog. He took my number and we talked the whole rest of the way to the factory. At the gate I shook his hand, although he invited me in for tacos, I had to get back to work. Thanks Wilmer!
One of my crazy friends and his crazy artist friend did something either really stupid, or completely brilliant. They launched a replica of a Revolutionary War submarine in the East River, very close to a British Cruiseliner, the Queen Mary 2. Art or Terrorism, or just a stunt?
In college May Day meant we built a half pipe in the sculpture studio and played in the grass between the 2D and 3D buildings on a clay slip and slide. Today, May Day 2006, I participated in the march through downtown LA in support of immigration rights.
Today I marched with Holly Tempo in honor of my great-grandmother, Pauline Kahn. Holly carried an American flag while I carried an enlarged Photo of Bubbie Pauline with text announcing “MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER CAME HERE FROM RUSSIA ON A FAKE PASSPORT.” I felt so much pride in supporting the immigrants today. Many people after reading my sign took my picture, put their arms around me, shook my hand, and gave me high fives, thanking me for my solidarity and support of them. My feeling is that I am just raising the point that not all illegal immigrants are Latinos. There are a lot of racist ideologies in the immigration debate now. I am also trying to honor the fact that if she had not come here, more of our family could’ve perished in the Holocaust.
I do not know the best solution, but I do think that the current policy needs to be re-evaluated. Yes immigrants should learn English. However I do find it problematic that we are really the only developed country that does not require/encourage its citizens to be multilingual (I’ve been told that Bubbie spoke Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish, Polish and English.) The founding Americans (read Colonialists) came here illegally and stole land from the Natives. The people arriving here from Latin America are coming here to start a better life, just as my Eastern European ancestors did. Many of the children who were brought by their parents illegally are now in high school or college. They now suffer because of their parent’s actions. Culturally they are just as much American as anyone, because they were raised here. Should they be deported to a country they do not know?
I do understand that times have changed since the late 1800’s and that our country cannot take care of everyone. Yet we invade other countries to “liberate” the people, which is a whole other issue. Don’t get me started…
One last note…I was offended this weekend by the altered flyer advertising the march and boycott that was posted in the mailroom in my building. It appropriated the flyers made by ANSWER LA and added racist statements against Mexicans in the small print. When I took it down and replaced it with the actual ANSWER LA flyer, the racist tenant replaced it again. Finally I tore up their flyer and left the bulletin board empty. Holly suggested I report the illegal hate speech to the building management.
Its a busy week…Tomorrow, Jeremy and I have digital prints in an art auction benefiting The HeArt Project.
This Saturday, June 4, I will be presenting a new installation and Jeremy will be presenting a new performance/installation at Interchange 3 at LAAA/Gallery 825
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