Black Suitcase from Karachi ( on tour )
24th - 26th June 2005
Welcome Inn
1840 West Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Nicola Atkinson.Davidson, Glasgow shows the contents of the black suitcase from Karachi in the bedroom ( see photograph below) while Laurie Steelink from Los Angeles hangs her Jolly Roger in the bathroom.
Los Angeles, The Suitcase From Karachi, and the Jolly Roger in the bathroom: what's the dealio?
Being a native of Los Angeles, and considering what that fact does
and does
not imply. . . I've come to the conclusion, (after using reliable
scientific
research methods and data ), that being from Los Angeles does not
necessarily suggest that one is a struggling actor, has had liposuction,
or
visits a psychic on a regular basis. The geography of L.A. itself
breeds a
certain type of alienation - an uprooted sense of "not belonging,"
despite
the beauty of the city itself. I would attest that its loveliness
is as
devastating, debilitating, and as deceptive* as an idealized soul.
The
sprawling landscapes and freeway arteries keep us in our hermetically
sealed environments. We seek comfort and assurance from the city
itself while attempting to maintain communication with loved ones
during rush hour
traffic on our cell phones.
While discussing the "suitcase" project with Nicola for
the past 1/2 year or so, and more intensely in the last few months,
we wrestled with several
ideas for showcasing her piece in the context of time and place
(Los
Angeles, California, U.S.A., Summer, 2005). During the latter part
of the
investigation, the City had taken quite a toll on my psyche, and
I nearly
surrendered: just feeling like a dead, hairy, leathery, unidentifiable
beast, aka roadkill. The City then divulged her Krispy Kreme self
in the
form of an epiphany: We thought - not a gallery - but a motel: the
transient, alienating, temporary, comforting, and rhetorical abode.
Not as
easy as one might think, but the community and ties to it, allowed
for the
installation. (Despite various omens suggesting that it might not
happen:
car ACTUALLY downs a pigeon, demoralization, and vertigo).
I had mentioned to Nicola that the work one of the artists I included
in an
exhibition recently , Laurie Steelink, (inspired by 'horror' to
keep it
succinct) would create a perfect balance in creating the overall
impact we
wished to achieve (and this is prior to whole motel deal). The result:
the
installation at the Welcome Inn. Both women's work evoke mystery,
and the
" other," in the language of artistic ambiance. So, as
a facilitator/curator,
I merely solved a quasi-algebraic equation.
I will confess that I am in love with Los Angeles. I've never left
it for
more than 6 months at time.
Love,
Cindy Ojeda
