Questions & AnswersQ.What is a "road concert"?A.It's like an inverted parade. You've got all the artists stationed at their site-specific artworks, and the audience are the ones who move. The idea is to make a show out of site-specific works that are in different sites while celebrating one of LA's really long streets. Each street is a unique sort of cross-section of Los Angeles.A lot of people email us asking if their band can play at it. It's not an outdoor music festival like the Sunset Junction Street Fair. You're not likely to drive up to find a band playing, but you'll find a distressed opera singer wandering the streets, or interactive musical caricatures. And a whole lot of non-musical projects as well. The original idea was to have a durational event containing an abundance of tangentially related site-specific works. It started with a vision of LA's really long roads as music staves that could be "played" by artists through their interpretations of particular spaces along them. Thus, the first road concert on San Fernando had more of a caravan feeling: cars went from spot to spot as a group and in order. The more recent ones have been decreasingly formal, but still suggest a directional flow. The audience is more independent, so as to have their own unique experience of the event. Q.How on earth am I supposed to view over 100 works along 24 miles in six hours?A.The idea is that the audience can curate for themselves, just like when you drive down a street and choose where you want to eat and shop. You can go on the website, read about all the works. Then print out a map and grab your highlighter and highlight the ones you want to see. You can choose how long you want to spend at each spot, whether or not you want to park or get out of your car, skip spots or drive at different speeds between them.Q.What is the selection process like for artworks in this show?A.Pretty much no one is told "no." If ideas are too alike, then we have to talk about it. If artists want the same spots along the street, then we have to talk about it. If someone's project doesn't really have much to do with their site, then I explain to them that that would need to be an important element. But it's a very inclusive event. It'd be silly to reject people anyhow because they could still show up and perform or install along the street anyway. But this event is about inclusion. Though not in a "Chain Letter" kind of way. At this event we make sure all the projects are cared for.Q.Do you have permits?A.No. The entire show is guerrilla style. We have gotten absolutely no permission for any of the works. Permits inevitably cost money, time and compromise the artists' visions. And so far, no artist has had any civic trouble showing their work. Some works though are on private property inevitably: mainly parking lots. You know, a lot of our time in public we spend in private-owned spaces. Oftentimes big businesses don't mind or notice if you're in their parking lot dressed up like George Washington or standing in front of a car wash handing out fliers for a new religion. But artists are encouraged to talk to residents and small business owners so that this continues to be a series of friendly artworks.Q.What kinds of projects take place in these road concerts?A.Performance art, interactive live music, staged reenactments, sculptures, performance scores, poetry readings, nude portrait photographers, lost wandering opera singers, video art taxis. Check out the "Participating Artists" section to see what work will be shown, and the "Washington Boulevard" and "San Fernando Road" sections to see documentation of past events.Q.Who organizes the Los Angeles Road Concerts?A.Los Angeles Road Concerts is founded and mainly organized by Stephen van Dyck. He sends out the call for submissions, builds the websites, sends out the press releases. He is lucky to know and meet a lot of amazing artists and help them give a home for their projects. |