Garden of Brokenness ExhibitionCelebrating Los Angeles as a Broken ParadiseShow Debuts Farmlab Exhibition Center

GARDEN OF BROKENNESS

Exhibition By FARMLAB

Opening Reception: Friday, February 23 @ 7-11pm
INDOORS - RAIN OR SHINE

Exhibition dates: February 23-June 1, 2007 -- NOW EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2007*

Venue: Farmlab Exhibition Center, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA CA 90012

Contact Information: www.farmlab.org; (323) 226 1158; [email protected]

About Garden of Brokenness

MORE PHOTOS

Farmlab's Garden of Brokenness celebrates Los Angeles as a broken paradise. The project is proposed for Confluence Park, a location that has been described as "one of the ugliest, most devastated spots on the Los Angeles River" (Dr. Jennifer Price), but which is also one of the more inspirational. For two fresh water rivers – the Arroyo Seco and the Los Angeles River – meet here year round and, for well over ten thousand years, their confluence sustained a hunter-gatherer culture that enjoyed abundant clean water, plentiful food, a sub-tropical climate, and lush rural surroundings.

Beginning in the post-industrial brokenness of this paradise lost, the Garden of Brokenness extends the gestalt of a ragamuffin site. The project is neither landscaped in a traditional sense nor arranged according to a tidy municipal geometry. Instead, as if the rivers have burst their concrete banks and then receded, leaving behind curious flotsam and fertile soil, the project elements are arranged to give the impression of random placement.

The distinct elements of the Garden of Brokenness are rich and poetic. The main feature is a working carousel with repurposed objects and assemblages by artists George Herms and Lauren Bon, accompanied by music created for this proposal by composer Jeremy Mage. The carousel is bordered by a number of ‘junker gardens’ – verdant plots cultivated inside of broken-down vehicles – and by eleven graffiti-covered columns salvaged from the recently demolished Hahamog-na Bridge. In the center of the carousel a camera obscura shows images of a river. But the question is: "which river?" Is this a real camera obscura that shows the actual meeting of the Arroyo Seco and the Los Angeles River? Is it a college of images concerning the archetype 'River'? Is it a phantasm of the Los Angeles River – a river in potentia that is now alive only in the realm of perception? Or is it a vision for the future?

About the Artists

Garden of Brokenness, by Farmlab, is a collaboration between Farmlab team members including conceptual artist Lauren Bon, sculptor George Herms, gardener Jaime Lopez Wolters, and composer Jeremy Mage; with the creative input and technical expertise of Kate Balug, James Goodnight, Monica Henderson, Amy Linsenmayer and Alex Ward, the furniture selection and critical eye of Roxanne Steinberg, and special thanks to Valley Crest Landscape Development for technical support.



Opening Reception

Friday, February 23, 2007 @ 7-11pm
Featuring food, drink, a screening of the film, "Carousel," and special carnival-themed surprises

Related Exhibitions / Programming / Gallery Talks

February 23-March 23, 2007 "The Garden of Brokenness," 2001, mixed media, by James Elaine
Exhibition in the Under Spring Gallery
(co-located at 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012)
A primary source of inspiration for Farmlab's "Garden of Brokenness" project, James Elaine's "The Garden of Brokenness" was not initially intended to be a work of art. Rather, the piece developed as Elaine accumulated objects that spoke to his fascination with processes of decay and reclamation. A physical manifestation of the artist's worldview, "The Garden of Brokenness" represents a moment in the life of an ongoing inquiry.

February 23-March 23, 2007 "Chain Link Fence Art Pieces" by Farmlab
Exhibition outdoors at the Under Spring Gallery
(co-located at 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012)
Sal Bautista and Ramon Macias, Farmlab team members, created this triptych of sculptures using chain link fencing, plants and debris. The materials came from the remnants of what was once the South Central Farm, in South L.A.

February 23-March 23, 2007 "Earth & Seed" by Farmlab
Exhibition outdoors at the Under Spring Gallery
(co-located at 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012)
Farmlab Artist-in-Residence Gerardo Vaquero Rosas cultivated, culled, separated and now displays marigold seeds from his work at "Cornhenge," the metabolic sculpture located on the grounds of the Los Angeles State Historic Park. More information available the night of the opening.

March 30, 2007 @ Noon: Gallery Talk with George Herms
Farmlab Artist-in-Residence George Herms will discuss the Garden of Brokenness at a lunchtime salon, at Farmlab, on Friday March 30th. This free event starts at noon and a light lunch will be provided.

May 4, 2007 @ Noon: Farmlab Salon with Brian Morgan, Carousel Historian
Join carousel historian Brian Morgan as he discusses the colorful and fascinating history of the merry-go-round, and much more.

May 18, 2007 @ Noon: Gallery Talk with the Farmlab Team
Farmlab conceptual artist Lauren Bon, sculptor George Herms, gardener Jaime Lopez Wolters, and fellow Farmlab team members discuss the Garden of Brokenness at a lunchtime salon, at Farmlab, on Friday, May 18th. This free events starts aat noon and a light lunch will be provided.

What is Farmlab?

The team behind the Not A Cornfield project in Downtown Los Angeles has become Farmlab, a six-month multi-disciplinary investigation of land use issues that are related to sustainability, livability, and health. Among much more, Farmlab is exploring what role, if any, the team can and should play in matters related to lessons raised and learned from the Not A Cornfield project. Continuing to serve as a catalyst for community involvement and change through the development of art actions, projects, and otherwise, Farmlab is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuity of all living things.

More information: visit www.farmlab.org, call 323 226 1158 or email [email protected]


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