Past a crawling maze of neon, sun-like patterns and a swarm of people- I gently muscled my way through the Standard Downtown’s lobby and walked straight up to the man I was looking for: Dennis Hernandez, the hotel’s director of marketing. Surprised that I found him so easily on my first attempt, Dennis smiled back, kindly, and welcomed me, warmly.

I had come to check out the hotel’s collection of multi-media installations and projections by Los Angeles artists Jerico Woggon, Desirae Hepp, and Lustre. All the work had been on display for the preceding two days as a teaser to Curator Lilli Muller’s Autumn Lights LA ’09 show, which was premiering the same night just a hop, skip and a jump down the street at Pershing Square. What better medium than light to showcase the local talent pool in our sprawling city of lights? Exactly.

I have, as a native Angeleno, witnessed downtown’s art community grow over the years. During college, I lived on Bixel Street and 8th in one of the bland, fake Tuscany-styled buildings devoid of both character and architectural innovation. I wanted to live in one of the soon-to-be teardowns on Jefferson. Crackly painted-white porches on which I would sit drinking a glass of bourbon, watching those who pass by, feeling the heat from the seat still emanate from voyeurs past. But I was convinced that living at the Medici would be safer, cleaner, better. At that time, LA was going through a downtown renovation project, hoping to bring light to the fact that we do, actually, have a downtown. Going back years later, and after a year in NYC, I appreciate these dirty downtown streets and the united call for action by the artistic community.

Lustre Art Work

The Standard Downtown was already buzzing. The installations and electro-Indian music integrated seamlessly into the hotel whilst people chatted around me, vodka tonics confidently in hand. Without realizing it, I was already within the confines of the art show: a light projection on the wall in front of me by artist Desirae Hepp, another video light piece by the Lustre group to my right. Jerico Woggon’s black light installation, featured on 6th Street’s wall and the hotel lobby entrance, reminded me just how cool black lights make everything. Everything with the exception of teeth color and lint, that is. Photographer Rick Mendoza and LA-artist and curator Lilli Muller created rooftop-projected video footage. Hepp’s textile lit artwork aimed to play with our innate response to light, waves and bioluminescence, while creative group Lustre’s video projection montage sought to immerse the audience in a fuzzy bath of art, design and film, mesmerizing us all in the lobby with dancing images.

Lilli Muller Art Work

LA is reclaiming the arts as a priority, as a way to connect people and its interlaced communities. That community tie-in is exactly what The Standard wanted to do. “When I learned that Autumn Lights was coming back after being dark last year, especially as it was something happening just two blocks away, I thought it would be a fantastic fit. It’s great for the community and the arts, which is something that the Standard certainly is involved with,” Dennis told me. “When I met Lilli Muller, the curator, sitting in the lobby and talking about her vision, something snapped and I wanted to be a part of it. We are not only design-centric, but we are engaged with the local community.”

The live music in the lobby enriched the artwork on display, as intended by the hotel’s Culture Coordinator Dan Mancini. “We wanted a live act as opposed to a DJ that wouldn’t distract from the light display, because it’s about lighting and the fluidity of the light as opposed to a musical experience,” he explained. “To do that, we brought in a group called LEF, which stands for Liberate Elemental Forces, and is a mix of Indian and electronic music. There’s a lot of synthesizers and classical Indian instruments which adds to the overall experience.”

Desirae Hepp Art Work

After perusing the artwork, I walked down to Pershing Square, eager to check out the main area of light installations. Any free of charge, open to the public event in downtown LA draws some unusual characters-the one who talks to himself, the other who dances by herself- but the vibe was informal, welcoming and inspiring. Partnered with the City of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation and Art2, Autumn Lights LA ’09 provided an outdoor art show where LA musicians and artists exhibited their light-based work. A city is marked by its lights. An intangible barometer of our culture, our people, our city. In the middle of Pershing Square, I looked around at our downtown, one that now beamed with lights signaling to those landing in LAX airport that we too have a downtown worth reckoning with. One day, thanks to the efforts of these artists, we will fortify Los Angeles’ reputation as a world-class art and culture destination.

For more information on Autumn Lights LA, visit:
www.autumnlightsla.com
For more information on The Standard Downtown, go to:
http://www.standardhotels.com/los-angeles/