As we get closer to the 10/9/11 CicLAvia, expect more and more coverage here at Streetsblog. Of course, you can stay up to date by “liking” CicLAvia on Facebook or visiting their blogpage anytime.
But for regular Streetsblog readers who want their news in one place, we’ll be offering semi-regular updates on the CicLAvia news you might have missed otherwise. Don’t forget, CicLAvia runs from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. on Sunday, October 9.
- CicLAvia announced the winners of its $500 mini-grant contest. The goal of the contest is to create more of a giant street party feel instead of a giant bike event feel that's existed for the past two events. The grant winners include the "Eagle Rock Yacht Club" which is really a dodge ball outfit, various performance and music based events and even "street chess" are on the docket. A complete list of the mini-grant winners can be found after the jump.
- One great idea that didn't win a mini-grant, comes from Bikeside, which is hosting a space for candidates in the CD 15 City Council race to replace Janice Hahn to come and talk to cyclists and CicLAvia revelers. The forum will be held right in front of LAPD's Downtown headquarters from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M.
- The City Council Transportation Committee will debate tomorrow a motion to allocate $200,000 to CicLAvia to help cover the city's expenses. Any leftover fund from this allocation will be spent on CicLAvia's in 2012, if the Council approves.
Mini-grant winners in 3...2...1...
- The Eagle Rock Yacht Club takes CicLAvia’s invitation to “play in the streets” literally. Sunday, October 9 will be the third time the Yacht Club enlivens the CicLAvia route with their friendly dodgeball games, which are free and open to all. The Yacht Club will also provide shaded seating for spectators, and bike parking. The Eagle Rock Yacht Club is an organization dedicated to creating positive growth for at-risk youth and young adults through the game of dodgeball.
- Fandango Familia is a multi-generational group of students, based at the Eastside Café Echospace, dedicated to learning Son Jarocho, the traditional music of southern Veracruz, Mexico. Fandango Familia will bring the culture of southern Veracruz to CicLAvia through music, dance, and song.Bali & Beyond is a performing arts company inspired by the cultures of Indonesia. For CicLAvia, Bali & Beyond will present “Gong CicLA,” with a duo performing a rich variety of Balinese Gamelan music. “Gong CicLA” will also give audience members the opportunity to learn a gong cycle and perform as an impromptu ensemble.
- A Group Activity: 10 Mile Bodies is the brainchild of artists Alexis Disselkoen and Paul Pescador, who frequently collaborate on projects dealing with social engagement. For CicLAvia, Disselkoen and Pescador have conceived 10 Mile Bodies, a festive experiment in human interaction. Colorfully costumed participants will move through the Fashion District (along 9th Street from Spring to San Pedro Streets), connecting with one another, literally, with Velcro, zippers, buttons, and string, to form an unlikely parade float made of human bodies.
- Back (in time) drops, a collaboration of Maryam Hosseinzadeh and Katie Bachler, is a participatory project connecting CicLAvia with Los Angeles’ past. Inspired by the Polaroid photographers at MacArthur Park, who for decades have documented newly-arrived immigrants in Los Angeles, back (in time) drops will create up to four photo-ready backdrops located throughout the CicLAvia site, each featuring an archival image of the city from the Los Angeles Public Library. CicLAvia participants will be invited to take their own photos against the historical backdrops and share them online.
- The Sycons are solar-powered DJs, audio and visual artists, and activists for alternative energy and transportation. Using iPads, laptops, samplers, digital mixers and mini-PA systems, powered entirely by on-site solar energy. For CicLAvia, the Sycons plan to incorporate interactive elements into their mobile DJ booth, allowing participants to sample sounds using their Kaoss pad.
- Bunny Rest Stop is part performance art and part costume party, hosted by the likes of Tochtli 7, the Aztec Bunny, Carrot Cake, Olga the Pirate, and a variety of other animals indigenous to Los Angeles. This costumed colony of furry pranksters will provide CicLAvia participants with a shady place and good music for carrot-juice-fueled fun.
- Snap Yourself is a traveling photo both and two-time veteran of CicLAvia. The photo booth on wheels travels the CicLAvia route, taking photos upon request, which subjects can access and downloaded later, free of charge, from the Snap Yourself Facebook page.
- Sound Forest is an interactive sound installation using a combination of traditional percussion instruments and found objects. Alan Nakagawa, its creator, describes Sound Forest as “a high-energy homage to the spirit of Dada and the universal spirit of banging utensils at the dinner table.” The instruments will be situated at various heights to ensure that both fully-grown Dada enthusiasts and pint-sized dinner-table agitators can participate fully in the experience, accompanied by experimental sound musicians.
- The Los Angeles Hard Jumperz is a group of young people united by their passion for Jumpstyle, a unique type of dance that incorporates hard beats with sharp, air-fueled movement. With their mind-blowing performances at CicLAvia, they hope to inspire others to find an alternative to negative influences. Fredy Ortiz, a member of the Los Angeles Hard Jumperz, made a documentary about the group, entitled “Jumpers Unite,” which won first place in this year’s Youth Film Festival on Social Justice.
- Street Chess will engage CicLAvia participants by inviting them to play a street-scale game of chess, with a 9 x 9 feet chessboard and 32 pieces measuring 2-3 feet tall. The brainchild of Roman Jaster, Street Chess offers the thrill of a Wonderland-like distortion of normal proportions and conditions, much like CicLAvia does.
- Musical Consortium is a group of professional musicians of diverse styles and genres, including classical, punk, Brazilian, reggae, funk, and rock. The result will be an only-in-Los Angeles hybrid performance at CicLAvia. Audience participation, through clapping, singing, and dancing, is strongly encouraged.Atabey is a group dedicated to preserving Afro-Puerto Rican history and culture though music, dance, and song. Atabey will perform at CicLAvia, with the goal of not only educating others about the experience of African slaves in Puerto Rico, but also to create a new community through the shared experience of this powerful and resilient culture.
