The concrete banks of the LA River exist as a channel for water, but what unintended possibilities do they hold? Shifting our scale into miniature through a visit to the model at IIDL, we are able to zoom out and literally get a new perspective on a beloved section of Payme Paxaayt(Los Angeles River). From here, we can see that the shape of the river is also a channel for our human birthright: the capacity to dream, play and connect.
Ako Castuera led a series of two workshops for community members at the Inclusive Infrastructure Design Lab in Elysian Valley. These workshops ranged from the scale-shifting magic of finger puppetry and tiny skateboards to participants creating their own stop motion animation short films. As the model awoke our senses and imaginations, its miniature river banks came alive, with the invitation to spill into our full-scale worlds. Through these workshops, attendees experienced the model as a tactile map, narrative platform, and playground.
WORKSHOPS
During the first workshop, participants came together to craft miniature characters from clay. Ako handed out colored pencils and gave the simple instruction to “bring your character to life.” It was fascinating to see how, when encouraged to play, creativity blossomed. Each participant shared their character with the group, some revealing rich backstories about their character’s identity. After a walk along the river, Ako explained her approach to storyboarding, before the group came together to create a collaborative stop-motion animation.
In the second workshop, attendees created their own finger puppets to serve as either self-portraits or as alter-egos. Ako presented a variety of materials and options for creating their own puppets, including fabric, yarn, markers, and stickers. Using these materials some attendees created pants for their fingers, while others used markers to transform their hands into animals such as frogs. Following a walk along the river, Charly Hinojosa led participants through a finger boarding workshop, demonstrating the basics. He encouraged attendees to play and interact with the model resulting in numerous laughs and joyful moments, as participants began to view the river through a more playful lens.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ako Castuera’s storytelling and material practice is based in Los Angeles, where she was born and raised. She creates sculptures and textiles from clay, soil, wool, and scrap, and cultivates intimate, relational exchange with the living bodies of land, water, air, neighbors and neighborhoods she has lived with over the years. Her work is an offering to sites of intersection and transformation, taking the form of psychopomps, objects of protection and play, tools for navigating complex and unfolding experiences.
Ako’s work has been exhibited at the Oakland Museum of California Art, the Japanese American National Museum, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and the Vincent Price Art Museum. She is also known for her work as a story artist on ‘Adventure Time’ and Emmy award winning director of ‘City of Ghosts’.