UTOPIA / dystopia
Directed by John Malpede
UTOPIA/dystopia, seeks to find out how flesh and blood people living and working downtown envision the future of downtown and what kind of downtown they would like to be a part of.
Directed by John Malpede
UTOPIA/dystopia, seeks to find out how flesh and blood people living and working downtown envision the future of downtown and what kind of downtown they would like to be a part of.
April 19, 2007: Is It A Crime To Be Poor? – ALOUD series at the Central Library.
May 29: UTOPIA/dystopia discussion at UCLA’s Kerckhoff Art Gallery.
June 21: 7 Glimpses of Utopia at The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy.
July 26: Glimpses of Utopia 8 – 15 at The Red Dot Gallery.
September 20: Glimpses of Utopia 16 – 23 at the Historic Fire Station Old 23.
October 25: Glimpses of Utopia 24 – 30 at The Red Dot Gallery.
November 16: Glimpses of Utopia 31 – 37 at The Church of the Nazarene.
November 16: “220 Glimpses Of Utopia” an Outdoor Utopian Movement Chain.
December 6 – 9, 2007: Performances at REDCAT theater.
UTOPIA/dystopia is a series of performance, public art and conversation events that look at the present and future of downtown Los Angeles, with the recognition that one person’s Utopia might have the unintended — or rationalized — consequence of contributing to the realization of another person’s dystopia. A way to avoid “rationalized” ill effects, is first-hand experience.
PRESS
In a series of workshops LAPD asked 220+ people from in- and outside Skid Row what Utopia looks like to them. Each group translated these visions into slow motion movement and together they created a line of movement on the sidewalks that extended the 10 blocks from the heart of Skid Row to City Hall.
read moreDecember 6, 7, 8, 9: ‘UTOPIA/dystopia’ performances at the REDCAT theatre in downtown LA at 631 W. 2nd Street.
read more* April 19: ALOUD series at the LA Central Library; a panel discussion on the subject “Is it a crime to be poor?”
* May 29: UTOPIA/dystopia discussion at UCLA’s Kerckhoff Art Gallery.
LAPD members were asked to identify and invite someone “who you think is doing something that is contributing to creating the kind of neighborhood you would like to live in?” Inviters and invitees come together to create a kaleidoscopic picture of utopian possibilities downtown.
The UTOPIA / Dystopia Project involves a number of community partners including, The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), the LA Central Library, the Department of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA, United Coalition East Prevention Program (UCEPP), Central City Community Outreach, LA Community Action Network (LA CAN) and SRO Housing, Inc.
The UTOPIA / dystopia Project is made possible with the support of: the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, The Multi-Arts Production Fund of Creative Capital with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Animating Democracy Initiative of Americans for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts-Theater Program.