LACMA × Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives

LACMA × Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives


  • Apr 18, 2021–Apr 30, 2024
  • Various locations throughout Los Angeles County via Snapchat
  • Learn how to use Snapchat


 

Portal for Tovaangar, 2021

Working in landscapes she feels anchored to, Mercedes Dorame reclaims connection to the land and ancestral knowledge by exploring what it means to exist as a Native inhabitant of contemporary Tovaangar (Los Angeles). Portal for Tovaangar creates an immersive portal that links past, present, and potential future worlds. Viewers engage with what continues to inspire many Native people: the sky, the land, indigenous plant life, celestial bodies, and the infinite ability to connect to these entities and with each other. This work proposes a community healing opportunity, an exploration of truth in understanding Indigenous intrinsic knowledge, and reconciliation. Portal for Tovaangar shifts away from memorializing heroes and singular events to engage the continued and future presence of Native people in this city.

The song included in the piece is inspired by a 1918 wax cylinder recording of Tongva singing: 

Kotiikawooken papaaxiiwo | Red-winged blackbird

Yakeenax nechoova yakenax | Dance with me 

chawaayavet, chawaayavet | With outstretched wings

 

Portal for Tovaangar may be experienced by downloading Snapchat and scanning the code below.

Dorame Snapcode

Composition by Mercedes Dorame and Samuel Kinsella
Lens Creator: Sutu


The Monumental Perspectives Podcast | Through the Portal

Mercedes Dorame reclaims connection to the land and ancestral knowledge by exploring what it means to exist as a Native inhabitant of contemporary Tovaangar (Los Angeles). Inspired by her augmented reality monument Portal for Tovaangar, Mercedes Dorame speaks with Curators, Academics, and Tongva musicians, poets, and artists in a podcast inspired by Mercedes’s augmented reality monument Portal for Tovaangar.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.


Mercedes Dorame

 

Think Big, 2021

I.R. Bach’s approach to what constitutes a monument differs from its conventional definition. A simple action such as moving through the park may turn into an experience worth memorializing. Through larger-than-life animations, a whimsical soundtrack, and a guiding basketball, Think Big crafts an experience designed to inspire self-reflection as you proceed. “The aspiration is to collectively build an invisible monument of thought.” I.R. Bach encourages users to playfully consider the phrase, “See yourself in others and others in you.” Think Big is ideally enjoyed in the park but is available everywhere on a smaller scale with fewer stops. The original soundtrack was composed by the artist and features special guest Dwight Trible.

Think Big may be experienced at Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park or from anywhere by downloading Snapchat and scanning the code below.

Bach Snapcode

Composition by I. R. Bach, with special guest Dwight Trible
Lens Creator: James Hurlbut


The Monumental Perspectives Podcast | A Walk in the Park

A Walk in the Park with I.R. Bach takes you on a walk through the mind of the artist and creator of Think Big, an augmented reality project in Magic Johnson Park that invites us to think of the big questions, arriving at a deeper understanding of what makes us human. A Walk in the Park may be Ideally listened to on-site, accompanying the art piece itself. However, we invite you to experience A Walk in the Park wherever you are.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.


I.R. Bach

 

No Finish Line, 2021

No Finish Line centers generational stories from the communities, businesses, and organizations along the 1932 L.A. Olympic marathon route, which started and ended at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This conceptual project highlights how the stories of daily life come together to make history. A narrative thread connects generations of people, businesses, and organizations along the route. The symbolism of a marathon reminds the viewer that the path of history is long, and that making positive change and building an equitable world requires stamina. The memories of the people and places therefore become perpetual and not forgotten: the path of history is a marathon with no finish line. In 2028, Los Angeles will become the only city in the United States to host the Olympic Games three times, invoking memories of Games past and contributing new narratives to the future. Original music composition created in collaboration with DJ Melo-D of the World Famous Beat Junkies.

No Finish Line may be experienced at Christmas Tree Lane Park (within Exposition Park) near the entrance of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park, or from anywhere by downloading Snapchat and scanning the code below.

Kaino Snapcode

Composition by Glenn Kaino and DJ Melo-D of the World Famous Beat Junkies
Lens Creator: Michael French


Art Activity

What is the story of your neighborhood? Who gets to tell the story of your neighborhood? Download Glenn Kaino’s No Finish Line art kit and see how you can fit stories together.

Physical art kits will be distributed every weekend in June 2021 through artist Lauren Halsey’s food distribution initiative in South Central Los Angeles.


Glenn Kaino

 

¡Vendedores, Presente!, 2021

¡Vendedores, Presente! responds to L.A.’s complex history with street vendors. Ruben Ochoa draws from his family history—his mother pioneered a mobile tortilla delivery system in San Diego County—to pay homage to the critical role of street vendors in L.A.’s culture and economy. Referencing familiar forms of street vending, ¡Vendedores, Presente! serves as a multilingual resource for on-the-ground entrepreneurs and a call for advocacy. After a decade-long fight to legalize street vending in L.A., the pandemic has impacted its progress and potential growth, with many street vendors left more vulnerable than ever. ¡Vendedores, Presente! invites participants to learn more about the plight of street vendors and provides options to assist through non-profit organizations Community Power Collective (CPC) and Inclusive Action for the City.

¡Vendedores, Presente! may be experienced at MacArthur Park or from anywhere by downloading Snapchat and scanning the code below.

Ochoa Snapcode

In partnership with Snap, and Lens Creator: Sallia Goldstein


Resources
 

Ruben Ochoa

 

The Open Hand is Blessed, 2021

“If you hold your hand closed, nothing good can come in. The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance, even as it receives.” — Biddy Mason (1818–1891)

The Open Hand is Blessed is a memorial series that pays tribute to the voice and spiritual philosophy of Biddy Mason. The story of Mason is one of resilience. In 1851, Mason arrived in San Bernardino, California, after traveling thousands of miles by foot as an enslaved person. After this arduous journey, she settled in Los Angeles and worked as a nurse and midwife. She died a free person and one of the wealthiest Black women in the country. In The Open Hand is Blessed, Ada Pinkston draws from archival images of African American residents in 19th century Los Angeles.

The Open Hand is Blessed may be experienced at Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park or from anywhere by downloading Snapchat and scanning the code below.

Pinkston Snapcode

Composition by Jamal R. Moore; narration by Dollie McLean. Image: USC Digital Library, California Historical Society Collection
Lens Creators: Charles Hamblen and Sutu


Ada Pinkston