Re–Fest | LA Day 2

Hot Shot Muffler
5507 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042

April 29, 2023
1–9pm PT
Free / Donations Welcome

CultureHub presents Re–Fest, an annual festival that brings artists, activists, technologists, and scientists together to explore our role in re-shaping the future.

The theme for Re–Fest 2023 is Re-New, which critically examines our culture’s obsession with newness, reframing our relationship to creation and progress. How can we prioritize ancestral knowledge and forgotten technologies in order to renew our relationship with creation and innovation?

Day 2 of Re–Fest at Hot Shot Muffler will feature a group exhibition, live performances, and conversations.

SCHEDULE:
1:00pm PT: Weaving Demonstration with Emma Akmakdjian
1:00pm PT: Live Mural Collaboration with The Pride of Leimert
3:00pm PT: Exhibition | New York / Los Angeles Gallery Tour*
3:30pm PT: Conversation | Ajani Brannum*
4:15pm PT: Conversation | New York / Los Angeles Long Table Discussion*
5:00pm PT: Performance | Two yeah. yeah. to by Alexsa Durrans*
6:00pm PT: Performance | Macho Stereo by Marcus Kuiland-Nazario and Paul Donald
9:00pm PT: Exhibition Closes

*Events will be telematically connected between New York and Los Angeles with live video conferencing.

Explore the full line-up of Re–Fest 2023 here.

Featured

Live Mural Collaboration

The Pride of Leimert

A crew of street artists from Leimert Park based out of The Lion Gallery collaborate on a piece to bring the spirit of Leimert to the world. Unyenz, Angie Sircuss, Emily Kirkwood, Paydaveli, Kahil Ansari, and Kesi Ruffin will collaborate on a live mural outside at Hot Shot Muffler.

Live Mural Collaboration in LA on April 29th from 1–4pm PT. RSVP →

Four-Shaft Cylindrical Loom

Emma Akmakdjian

Four umbrella-like contraptions, known as shafts on a traditional loom, open and close along a 7 ft pole, exposing uniquely colored threads to concoct woven patterns. Akmakdjian chose to create four shafts with 24 threads because DNA has four base characters. For her weavings, Akmakdjian plans to perform DNA by transcribing base characters A,T,C,G into proteins to demonstrate the tension between nature and culture. Akmakdjian will weave the same pattern over and over to show how a mutation in encoding can lead to an entirely new outcome; revealing how genetic mutation is cultural innovation.

Weaving Demonstration in LA on April 29th at 1pm PT. RSVP →

Conversation with Ajani Brannum

Ajani Brannum (they/them) is an undisciplinary artist who works between performance, writing, digital media, facilitation, and divination. Guided by a commitment to psychospiritual inquiry, Ajani examines the stories that structure our being-in-the-world. Ajani hails from Anchorage, Alaska, and is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities; they hold an AB in English and a Certificate in Dance from Princeton University, and a PhD in Culture and Performance from UCLA.

Conversation in LA on April 29th at 3:30pm PT. RSVP →

Telematic Gallery Tour & Long Table Discussion

The CultureHub team will connect festival sites in NYC and LA with a telematic gallery tour and long table discussion. Re–Fest artists will share inspirations and demonstrations of their work in the gallery tour and audiences will experience the exhibitions from both coasts. Then, CultureHub will host a Long Table Discussion, an open-source format for non-hierarchical conversations created by Lois Weaver all artists and attendees are welcome to participate.

Gallery tour at 3pm PT / 6pm ET and Long Table Discussion at 4pm PT / 7pm ET on April 29th.

Two yeah. yeah. to

Alexsa Durrans

Two yeah. yeah. to is a soloist’s gesture to space, using choreography generated by a computer’s audio transcriptions of a conversations between choreographer and dancer discussing somatics and the body. This work dissipates through site with the dancer’s choreographed body, evoking the possibilities of mediated encounters with dancing, even in the ephemerality of live performance.

Performance in LA on April 29th at 5pm PT. RSVP →

MACHO STEREO

Marcus Kuiland-Nazario and Paul Donald

MACHO STEREO is a long term interdisciplinary work of Marcus Kuiland-Nazario created in collaboration with the public and male identified artists. The work is inspired by the legendary 1955 Mexican novel Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo and the 1966 film of the same name, which hinges on the reunion of an estranged father and son. The project includes audio interviews conducted during residencies at libraries, video, vintage vinyl, and equipment from his family archive. The durational performance component of the work is created with collaborator Paul Donald.

Performance in LA on April 29th at 6pm PT. RSVP →

Photo courtesy of Hot Shot Muffler

Image description: An outside view of the venue Hot Shot Muffler, the entrance is a large rectangle that has ivy covering the walls on the outside, which is lit by string lights. A human sized robotic sculpture stands outside. The inside is shown, featuring a small exhibition with a video screen in one corner and a collection of small framed artwork in the other.

Re–Fest | LA Day 2

Re–Fest | LA Day 2

Photo courtesy of Hot Shot Muffler

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