from November 28, 2011…
If you have not heard yet, the Mayor’s Office of Los Angeles have issued an eviction order for Occupy Los Angeles to take affect Monday, November 28, 2011 12:01 am Pacific Standard Time. Occupy LA have been one of the last remaining metropolises for the Occupy Wall Street movement. Many have questioned the political motives and objectives for this de-centralized group for not being clear, especially when answering to the national news media outlets. However, what should be noted for the particular division of the Occupy Movement is the reclaiming of public land through the use of art+instillation, camps with public workshops and the creqtion of support services for the growning number of residents. Featured below are the lasting memories of how Occupy LA, local/national news media and city officials have turned the LA City Hall lawns into spaces of media contention. What have witness in Los Angeles for the past two months is how media technology and art instillation have physically teased out a dialogue between these groups.
The familiar notions of what is streetscape and the public rift of way have been almost tested to the limitation at City Hall. When can we ever say since its opening celebration in the 1930s where there was civic engagement that resulted in a mass congregation between public spaces and and spaces of municipal authority?
A few representatives have been quoted that they recognize that eviction was inevitable and stated there will be numbers in their group that will stand firm and not move. Also, they have mentioned that Occupy LA does have other sites for occupation but will not mentioned them at this time. Although, it would be interesting to see how this movement evolves on other possible sites within the city, how this event transformed City Hall into a contested ground for civic issues through meta-media (presence and occupation) and specific media (signage, art installations and workshops), will be sorely missed.
SOFT PUBLICS 