The image becomes the real.
We live in a spectacular society, that is, our whole life is surrounded by an immense accumulation of spectacles. Things that were once directly lived are now lived by proxy. Once an experience is taken out of the real world it becomes a commodity. As a commodity the spectacular is developed to the detriment of the real. It becomes a substitute for experience.
—Images and Everyday Life — Larry Law
I’ve been dreading the gentrification push on N. Broadway for some time now but I think we are safe for the time being. (Back in December I mentioned the arrival of a new discount store called 99, seems they’ve already been hit with the cease and desist letters cuz they’ve gone and removed all their canopies with the blue 99 logos.) The capital interest is elsewhere, for now. There was an art gallery/living space for a second by the Pollo Loco, I think it is still there but their gentrification influence seems to have been neutered. That one midnight gallery went somewhere better, phew! Even though lots of new people with big dogs and more money than the rest are moving into the neighborhood, it is good to see that the commercial heart of Lincoln Heights has not yet been infected by the virus of expensive boutiques or luxury amenities for the few.
Anywhere you go. Continue reading
Everything Los Angeles touches turns to shit. That phrase came out of my mouth at least twice on New Year’s Eve at the Grand Park event, possibly more but I can’t remember. Of course, it was in reference to local leaders trying to create something new in Downtown LA, a place to ring in the new year with a bunch of other people that don’t know where else to go. I bet they are shocked that so many people actually showed up. I am.
But that’s a bit harsh, I should rephrase that to something like “Every attempt by Los Angeles to use public space for social needs turns to shit”, but it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. The supposed draw was some video projections on city hall, something to give the city “WOW”. Look at the pic above, multi-colored fake palm trees projected in the vicinity of recently planted ones. This would be a perfect moment to insert a political diatribe about the spectacle but I’ll refrain considering we were in the midst of the holidays. Enjoy that present of nothing.
Please excuse my lack of HR reviews lately, I’ve been trying to stick to a mostly vegan diet. Yeah, how dumb, I know huh, it’s sooo stupid! I haven’t had eggs in my fridge for the last two months, it’s weird and I don’t like it. I do like challenging myself and my stupid habits so I will stick to this new way of eating for a bit. But I will never be a vegan, again, and I’m pretty certain about that. Today I planned to have some HR’s, I was in Pasadena, and I sought them out. My first two choices didn’t work out but the sense of exploration will lead you to the third option. So here I am.
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