oneshotexhibition.org blog

Can society survive in the future without local produce serving their communities?

With the ever-increasing population growth in cities like Los Angeles and an average person consume one ton a year, one of the issues is there are going to be enough open space for gardening to supply the residents. Fifty years ago, there was enough open space to supply the whole United States but every day an estimated nine square miles of rural land are lost to development, population is projected to increase by nearly 130 million people – the equivalent of adding another four states the size of California – by the year 2050 and Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day – that’s roughly 200 billion more than needed – enough to feed 80 million people.

The new Density Bonus Ordinance approved by the City Councilmen by a vote of 12-2 to allow developers to build taller buildings with 5% of residential units go to affordable housing but also decrease the amount of open space where most of the service produce we received are imported from foreign countries and increase carbons.

There should be a balance not only with the city and county of Los Angeles but with other counties in the state to balance agriculture and development to suffice local farmers to provide service to the community of large cosmopolitan areas, like what is happening farmers market spending throughout the basin, and the city should allow a new development green zones to allow residences to create their own vegetable garden who doesn’t have space to grow. There is definitely no talk about it in the council’s chambers if there is one.

Women sitting in Alon Frey’s feesia farm in the San Fernando Valley on March 15, 1926. Left to right: Blanche Westlund, Constance Caldwell, Dorrace Gould, Mate Hovey, and Betty David. (courtesy from the LAPL photo library).

Panoramic view of a large orchard in the San Fernando Valley. Date unknown. (courtesy from the LAPL photo library).

Song of the Blog: Sweetness and Light by Lush on the album Gala

There is a new public art installation at various sites around Los Angeles by well established women artist Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Louise Lawler and Cindy Sherman whose works come to question about women roles in society and the cultural environment that separates or integrates them from the white/corporate/male service. The public art exhibition is called “Woman of the City“. Conceived and curated by Emi Fontana.

The amusing part of the artist’s work is the installation itself doesn’t scream or imposes a great degree of size, scope and act, therefore it gives the viewer or audience to be keenly aware and investigate of their surroundings and be able to analyze for what it is worth. It definitely another way to see things amidst of overblown billboard advertising, grandiose and obstructive artwork. In some ways, it may give an ideal of “Woman in Architecture” to pause, think and create a voice about their profession in the urban environment in LA and to inject it with subtlety and conviction like “Woman of the City”.

The poster of Inflammatory Essays by artist Jenny Holzman

Inflammatory Essays plaster right next to Rock Demogod Lenny Kravitz (he’s soooo kool).

Barbara Kruger’s Plenty video installation on top of LACMA West (the old May Company Building) on the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire.

Song of the Blog: Kool Thing by Sonic Youth on the Album CD Goo

Some of the Lyrics of Kool Thing:

Yeah, tell’em about it,
hit’em where it hurts
Hey, Kool Thing, come here, sit down
There’s something I gotta ask you.
I just wanna know, what are you gonna do for me?
I mean, are you gonna liberate us girls
From male white corporate oppression?
Tell it like it is!
Huh?
Yeah!
Don’t be shy
Word up!
Fear of a female planet?
Fear of a female planet?
Fear, baby!
I just want to know that we can still be friends
Come on, come on, come on, come on let everybody know
Kool, kool thing
Kool, kool thing

The Murakami exhibit at the Geffen Contemporary, which ended on the 11th of February, became the most successful exhibition in some time. One of the most memorable was not from the exhibition but what happen to a Murakami billboard on Melrose Ave. in the mid-month of December, which will become urban legend.

Done by graffiti writers AWR/MSK, it shows a clear relationship of Murakami’s and AWR/MSK works with their approach of grotesques & colorful imagery and tactile qualities integrating to one another, the attack by a pair of urban guerrilla artist into a commercial advertisement is truly a artful gesture and fuckin’ sick. It shows on the previous blog that Murakami’s work is similar to graffiti as an art form and sort of a collaborative work between commodity artwork and extreme soulful markings in the urban environment of Los Angeles. No wonder Murakami decided to disassemble the billboard and have it shipped back to his studio in Tokyo as part of his own personal art collection and cash it in.

Who did get the better part of the deal? You decide.

Murakami/AUGOR/REVOK billboard on Melrose Ave.

Song of the Blog: The Free Design by Stereolab on the CD Cobra and Phases Group play Voltage in the Milky Night.

One of most advantages living in Los Angeles is that you will be living in the center of the city and you could go for ride for 30 minutes and be at the mountains or the ocean in no time. One place is the San Vicente mountain peak along a dirt road on Mulholland Drive, west of the 405 freeway, where it was a former site of a missile control center during the cold war, LA96C.

It is one of the most advantageous views of LA where you could see the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, and the Ocean. On a good day you will be able to see Santa Catalina Island and Santa Barbara Island. The tower itself is a deck where you are able take those views. It kinda reminds the work of John Lautner’s Chemosphere House (Malin’s Residence) in the Hollywood Hills with its single column supporting the deck.

After the site was close in 1974, it became the biggest party site for everybody in the Valley, mostly teenagers and it happen mostly at night where bomb fires and beer bottles litter the area. In 1996, the site became a nationally recognize park where they refurbished the old tower and added easy access to the tower of concrete paths and metal staircase to the observation deck. It’s one of LA’s treasured history.

Nike Observation Tower on San Vicente Peak along dirt Mulholland Drive.

Nike tower similarities to John Lautner’s Chemosphere Residence (photo by Jules Shulman)

View from the observation tower looking at the San Fernando Valley.

Song the Blog: Last Year’s Leaves by Blanche on the CD Little Amber Bottles

The Historic Filipinotown in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles is an important part of Filipino-Americans gaining an identity where they are known for their ability to adapt and do it well but in the other time seems to be lost on creating a center of presence for the community that they could proudly call their own.

There is no recognizable landmarks or any business like restaurants, markets and commercials entities that are Filipino own, let alone there are more Hispanics and Latinos living in the neighborhood than Filipinos. The only Filipino restaurant noticeable along the major streets is Bahay Kudo on 2330 W Temple St. Unlike Koreatown down at the Vermont Blvd. to Thaitown along East Hollywood Blvd., the historic Filipinotown has fail to create an essence of Filipino pride and identity. No buildings of significance that really define urbanistically and culturally in the area, especially along major streets like Beverly Blvd., Temple Street, Alvarado Blvd. and Glendale Blvd. There are some mini malls and multi-housing units that named their buildings synonymous to the Philippines locales (Luzon Plaza, Mindanao and Manila Terrace), which looks banal and mundane like any other place in Los Angeles.

The only monument significant to Filipino-Americans is the Filipino World War II Veterans Memorial Monument by Cheri Gaulke on Lake Street Park in 227 N. Lake Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057. It is the only Filipino monument in the United States, which recognized the struggles of Filipinos Veterans in receiving benefits for their service and their role in World War II, especially surviving the Bataan Death March. The problem is the locale of the monument, which is situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood, not along the majors streets where it could be accessible and be seen in part of the urban fabric.

Today, most Filipinos live in dispersed areas around Los Angeles, far from Historic Filipinotown. Most of them created patches of entrepreneurial business in Panorama City, Cerritos, Carson and Eagle Rock which becomes a lively part of Filipino-culture but the truth is there has not been solidarity amongst Filipinos to create an identity urbanistically that they could feel proud of.

The signifying that you enter into Historic Filipinotown on Temple Street.

Luzon Plaza @ the corner of Temple Street and Bonnie Brae.

Filipino-American Community of Los Angeles Hall on 1740 W. Temple Street.

The sign for Filipino-American Community of Los Angeles which is barely seen from the both the fast moving cars and walking pedestrians.

Filipino World War II Veterans Memorial Monument @ 227 N. Lake Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Filipino World War II Veterans Memorial Monument looking east.

Song of the Blog: Bebot by Black Eye Peas on the CD Monkey Business