As part of You Art Breathing In It, an exhibition of alternative artistic process at the Riverside Art Museum, Islands of LA will install a traffic island and island stories. The island being installed is called, I Was Here, which is an installation first exhibited in 2007 at the Highways Performance Space & Gallery. As part of the installation, there is an event. At Highways there was a site visit of a nearby traffic island and collectively we designed, built and installed art in public.

In 2008, the island moved to Side Street Project in Pasadena. Tomato plants were planted with Fallen Fruit and local residents as part of Love Apples. The traffic island stayed at Side Street for a couple of years being used as a gardening area in the outdoor lot.

On July 14, 2012, the island will be part of an opening at the Riverside Art Museum (RAM). The event at RAM grows out of a few years of research and investigation using the traffic island as a vehicle. During this time, law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson provided Islands of LA with pro-bono constitutional advice. Islands of LA learned traffic islands are most likely traditional public fora, which means they are among the most protected spaces for gathering (see Island Law). Closer analysis revealed traffic islands are actually the freest place the in American city to gather in public. This is because they are less restrictive for gathering than other traditional public fora (i.e. sidewalks require a permit to gather because pedestrians would be blocked and parks and beaches have various restrictions such as being closed at night).

This absurd reality lead to additional research on the first amendment right to assemble peaceably, which revealed a startling history  (see What is Peaceable Assembly?). Continuing to dig into this story, Islands of LA learned about women’s early history for liberty since women were innovators in the use of public space. This inspired a new project called We Woke The World, a living monument to the many faces of liberty. The event, on August 26 from 1-3pm at RAM, inaugurates the living monument with a celebration of the 92nd anniversary of the 19th amendment, which established women’s right to vote. The event features a sing-a-long of a 1917 group song that marks the climactic turning point and reveals how this movement was the first successful non-violent social movement in U.S. history. There will also be a paper hat making activity that speaks to the women’s suffrage movement.

Fort Hauser's birth at the Washington Art Concert and Islands Anyone? in October 2009

Islands of LA theorized these spaces could be used in a recurring way to foster community interaction and had investigated these spaces using a plural lens of law, history, political theory, psychology, geography and urbanism. Faith proposed doing a tea party and was also thinking about creating a sculpture with the community that was beautiful and would bring people together in public, pointing to the spectrum of public art/public sculpture ranging from traditional public sculpture to modern concepts and work like Joseph Beuys‘ notion of social sculpture and his Sculpture Park/7,000 Oak Trees.

In October 2009, Stephen van Dyke invited Islands of LA to its second road show on Washington Blvd. Islands of LA and Fallen Fruit, who were collaborating on Love Apples, had jointly participated in the first road show on San Fernando Blvd in 2008.  For the show on Washington Blvd, Islands of LA mapped all the traffic islands on Washington blvd and invited people to use them for the road show. This was an example of Islands of LA’s  role of providing freely available information about traffic island use.

Knowing of Faith’s interest, information about participating in the show was shared with her. She was also contacted to find out what dynamics she wanted in an island. She said she wanted an island that had pedestrian traffic and was large enough for her to do an event. After mapping the islands, Islands of LA contacted her and discussed a couple of possibilities. She settled on using the island at Hauser and Washington.

With her creative insight and understanding of the urban, legal and socio-political dynamics of these spaces, she developed a children’s art studio and gallery that she put up and left for the week, serving as as a community and legal test since structures are not allowed to be left over night. The structure was watched by a local resident drawn to the project. She decided to title the gallery Fort Hauser, implicitly referencing the long tradition of fort, fortification and fortress in human culture. In this case, it is used to defend and create art, community and notions of public. Her fort was welcomed by the community. Kids drew pictures and hung them up. Parents were delighted and contributed food. Local residents stayed with the structure over night. After the event, Faith wrote about the experience.

Faith has continued to develop the project staging other art events that involve children as well as adults, moving beyond the children’s art gallery concept. As of late 2011, she describes the project as “a recurring sculptural spectacle” and invites people “to create artworks to interact with a series of installations and events, collectively redesigning and occupying “forgotten” public space.” The notion of framing these spaces as forgotten warrants closer attention as does the desire to produce spectacles.

If these are forgotten, when were they remembered and by whom? Was it the “city” or the specific people who built them? Moreover, if they were remembered at some point by some group, that implies that other people who remember these spaces are dismissed. Certainly, this is not Faith’s spirit but framing these spaces in terms of memory lost and regained raises certain issues worth considering.

There is an important history of the usage of traffic islands that is worth understanding, which points to people who have and continue to remember these spaces. This is important because understanding of space and place impacts how we interact with it and how other people who haven’t considered these spaces begin to think about them. Examples of the use and understanding of traffic islands for gathering include Memorial Day in the U,S., political activity globally (i.e. protest for democracy in Bahrain, Sudanese refugees in Cairo, Raging Grannies of Greater Westerly, Occupy LA), art and politics, as urban artifact of one of the most ancient “public structures” Stonehenge, and as the freest place in the American city for peaceable assembly. Islands are also an example of everyday urbanism as they are used by some homeless as a refuge, for individuals to rest or sell things and for the LA Fire Department to raise money. Islands of LA suggests these artifacts in the urban landscape should be framed as “hidden in plain view.” Some people are aware of these treasures and other people drive by them, never noticing them at all. Faith’s work is compelling because it helps a local community interact with the resources in their locale that they have overlooked rather than remember something, which has been forgotten.

Let’s also consider using traffic islands as places for spectacle. First, the notion of spectacles on traffic islands raises the issue of safety. Personal safety in the built environment is a major trigger point for many people, including the city. People’s notion of spectacle may unintentionally result in unreasonable fear about the use of traffic islands for gathering. Faith’s projects have always been safe, attracting people without overly diverting and inundating their attention or the attention of drivers thus her usage doesn’t suggest unsafe attention but her description of the events has the possibility of being interpreted in this way. Moreover, there is a cultural critique of spectacle (anchored in the Society of Spectacle) as something that titillates but leaves no room for engaging interaction and reflection. This is clearly antithetical to Fort Hauser’s tradition and intention, which is a compelling project because it isn’t a spectacle like a Las Vegas weekend lion show. In short, the use of the word and the concept of the spectacle may be worth revisiting.

Fort Hauser presents the sophisticated notion of a recurring, resident created temporary sculpture as a way to use available public space legally and creatively to bring people together. Its creativity and heartfelt intention have been well received by local residents, which is a testament to her efforts and is most difficult to achieve. To keep up with the development of her project, please visit the facebook page or the website.

Islands of LA is intrigued to see how the project continues to develop. Everyone is welcome to explore these spaces and Islands of LA hopes the theory and information it has developed about the use and availability of pedestrian accessible traffic islands for gathering and community development is helpful.

Posted on Facebook: Update on Occupy LA Detail of 50 occupiers currently holding space at the median of the intersection of Wishire and Highland. The LAPD just informed demonstrators that the Secret Service has requested the Occupiers leave the median Of Wilshire and Highland immediately. They said it has been declared a safe zone for Obama’s visit. If they refuse to move, LAPD said they WILL be arrested. Stay tuned for updates as events unfold. ~pj

On Occupy Los Angeles website: On Monday, October 24, 2011, thirteen brave souls ventured forth from the loving embrace of Occupy Los Angeles’ base camp. They strode with purpose as their footsteps echoed throughout the corridors of Civic Center Metro Station. Their destination: a guitar pick-shaped slice of freedom. There was a man they needed to see. continue

ECHO PARK’S TIMEBANK
INVITES EVERYONE TO THE
SATURDAY SOCIAL: THRILLER ISLAND
DRESS UP IN YOUR HALLOWEEN COSTUME!
LEARN TO DANCE TO THRILLER!

Free parking
Alvarado/Sunset and Glendale/Montana Metro Buses

Why on a traffic island? Timebanking is a thrilling alternative to our currency-based economy hidden right in front of us – just like pedestrian accessible, public traffic islands all throughout Los Angeles. Islands are also the only public space where you can legally assemble at any time without a permit. So wake up the undead inside of you because it’s a thrill to Timebank, dance and exercise our right to peaceable assembly on these public piazzas! right here in our own Echo Park back yard.

Bring:

- Snacks
- Your dancing feet
- A “social” disposition

This event is open to everyone; Time Bank members are encouraged to bring non-Time Bank friends.

RSVP to Nyenye@echoparktimebank.com or on Facebook