Tongva Park’s Art @ Tongva program launches April 5 and 6 with the fourth annual The Wonder Room, two free evenings of performances and visual art by an interdisciplinary group of artists who synchronously activate the intimate “rooms” of Tongva Park.
The latest edition of this enchanting and varied event has been expanded for the first time to two consecutive nights. The Wonder Room features new work by acclaimed L.A. choreographer Sarah Elgart and her company, Arrogant Elbow, transforming the mundane into the magical and Grammy Award-winning vocalist Rosalie Rodriguez, with Pepe Flores and Gino Gamboa, performing rarely heard Peruvian boleros from her new, as-yet-unreleased album. Noted light artist and TED Fellow Christine Marie’s interactive, 3D/stereoscopic light spectacles will create an interactive experience, and visual artist Deborah Aschheim’s stunning, luminous ghost cityscapes will be on view. Ana Prvacki’s celebrated work Tent, quintet, bows and elbows, presents musical guests The Blasting Company playing inside a small tent with rhythmic surprises, and special guests Bridget Rountree and Iain Gunn of San Diego’s Animal Cracker Conspiracy round out the evening with their intricately beautiful shadow play Desire to Fly, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machines and the human quest for flight.
Audiences are invited to stroll and choose their own artistic adventure, discovering each work or performance at their own pace. The program highlights Tongva Park’s unusual geography of gardens, winding paths, and urban vistas, reimagining the small, exquisite spaces of the park designed by James Corner Field Operations, the creative geniuses behind the High Line in New York.
Art @ Tongva is an ongoing series of intimate and informal events that started in 2014. Two more events follow The Wonder Room. On Saturday, May 13, Great Explorations provides an immersive experience of art and culture for families and individuals of all ages, and on June 7 & 8, from 7:30-9 p.m. a two-evening performance of newly choreographed dance work will be presented within the Tongva Park landscape.
The Art @ Tongva series is co-produced by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division and Dyson & Womack. The event is free and open to the public. For images please contactAllison.Ostrovsky@smgov.net.
