Site-specific installation with sculpture of found car parts, hand-painted signs, and sound piece for short wave FM radio, 2021, 49:16
Installed Adam’s Square Mini Park Gas Station (Streamline Moderne, 1936), 1020 E Palmer, Glendale, CA, Winter 2021
You are listening to multiple recordings of my work commute edited together as one as I listen to the radio and drive along with other sounds layered into the work that provide subliminal climate conscious messaging. The length of the piece is the length of my longest day one way.
“No Movement” critiques SoCal car culture as we need to shift from fossil fuels to clean energy. The site specific installation exists in dialogue with the Streamline Moderne architecture of the historic Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station in Glendale, CA. It is a 1930s style that emphasized speed at the early stages of the automobile industry. As we deal with extreme commutes and traffic issues and also enjoy our mobile independence, how much has changed since the 1930’s when it was constructed? How might we shift in our thinking as we deal with changes in climate, relationships, and resources? What do these things reveal about our culture?
Credits
This work is made possible by the generous support of the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission
Hand-painted signs by Greg Gonzalez, Gonzo Sign Co @gregogonzosigns
Radio on the radio: Los Angeles member supported public radio stations KKJZ and KUSC
Nature Now audio clip by @ tommustill / Gripping Films / www.grippingfilms.com with @GeorgeMonbiot and @GretaThunberg #naturenow
Car Footprint (2008) audio clip from National Geographic
Bird sounds courtesy of Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology using MP3s from my copy of the Cornell Guide to Bird Sounds: Essential Set for North America (2014). We hear California gulls, thrashers, and towhees.
After “I am sitting in a room” (1969) by Alvin Lucier
A big thank you to Manuel and the guys at Ralfi’s Collision Center for some discarded car parts
Thank you!
LATER…
