2017
Commissioned by the 18th Street Art Centre, I'M DOWN was a two part project consisting of a series of participatory public actions and a large-scale mural. Both took place in and responded to the changing social and economic movements of Santa Monica's Pico Neighbourhood. The actions took place at locations around the neighbourhood, responding to the architecture, public spaces, the daily movements of residents and the larger scale movements of immigration and gentrification in the area. The actions took aesthetic cues from contemporary protests, employing social media as a tool for engagement and low-cost branding techniques such as printed T-Shirts and printed banners. Locations and invitations to participate were text-messaged to interested persons on a daily basis. These ephemeral actions were paired with a permanent, large-scale mural for the facade of the 18th Street Art Centre. The mural, featuring a text translated into several of the languages spoken in the area, remains onsite as a witness to what changes will later come to Pico.
Images courtesy 18th Street Art Centre.