Interrogation by Design
A project of MKE<->LAX
Collaborative Installation by Sara Daleiden, Harvey Opgenorth & Nate Page
Invited by Woodbury Hollywood Exhibitions as a guest curator, artist/organizer Sara Daleiden is collaborating with artists Harvey Opgenorth and Nate Page to import Rust Spot, a site-responsive installation process they collectively developed with other artists in their hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a storefront space facing the heart of Hollywood Boulevard. Based in empty warehouses associated with the industrial port from 1999-2004, Rust Spot was dedicated to carefully studying a site’s language to create an indelible bond between the art expression and its location. Harkening to a Midwestern DIY craft aesthetic, the overlapping installations produced a spectacular and interwoven socio-spatial experience which expanded the definition of a gallery and highlighted the physical and cultural layers present at the site. Considering the two cultural entities housed in the building, Woodbury University and the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design, the artists link the previously commercial building to an awareness of the infamous touristic district out the front door. Questioning function in relationship to pattern, the artists interweave contemporary and historical references to design styles to offer a revised art gallery experience.
The project is made possible by support from the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles, the Durfee Foundation, the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design and Woodbury University. This project has no affiliation with, but significant appreciation for The Green Gallery East’s Lovable Like Orphaned Kitties and Bastard Children, LA> Special thanks to Alex Amerri, Olivia Booth, Mark Escribano, Thomas Everts, Paul G. Gleason, Ligeia Gorre, Sho Halajian, Galina Kraus, Terry La Source, Chris McMillan, Dan-o Opgenorth, Mohamed Sharif, Carol Stakenas, Paul Stoelting, Pegi Taylor Christiansen, Carolee Toon and Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter.