It was my first time at the Pasadena Art Walk. Suitably, I did not know what to expect…read morespecificallly, broadly, I could, of course. The title pretty much says what to expect: Seeing art as you walk Pasadena's streets. But what the title could not catch is the different forms arts that I engage with, and what they stirred in side me and how my hands would feel after washing clay away from them. And when I say that I saw art durng this stroll, I meant that I saw many different types of art, including moments that were not sponsored by the committee that coordinated this event, but the committee that is responsible for decorating humanity's existence with twingle lights that glow with the joy of serendepity. I think that I will start my re-stroll wth a memory that shows the twinkle I was talking about just recently, in the steps of Pasadena's city Hall.
After viewing a crowded marionette show, where Dracula on strings paraded, I walked through the courtyard and saw two young ladies in Quinceanera or Sweet Sixteen dresses posing for their moment of glory. The dresses were flowing. They were a baby blue and their volume was the type of volume that exists in high hair-dos, the kind that reach up to heaven on a weekday and twice on Sunday. I saw one princess-under a literal glow light and appreciated her attempt to look regal with a hand next to her cheek but not touching in it. But what really send me to the moment of mirth reached to the max was when I saw the other young lady lying in the steps with her dress swimming around her. She was the face in the middle of the tule flower. I hope she felt like a princess doing another task for her party, and not like a young girl doing another task for her party. The difference is of course the feeling. Her big moment in the summer air should be score with royal feeling not typical teen responsibility.
Later as I waited for a shuttle, I heard old school Mexican music playing. The band played Macarena. I hope that the Macarena can be comfortably described as old school Mexican music because I am not trying to offend anyone including the people that take specific music genres quite seriously. Before the Macarena came on another song came on that I cannot recall but it commanded the dancer to rub their belly at some point. And what I did not expect is for a trio of T-Rex to be the central dancers, moving to the beat and the lyrics. I clipped a video. I think I captured the moment where their short hands reach their bellies and moved in a circular motion. Speaking of which, during this moment, I also saw a flock of birds (or was it bats) flying in the early evening sky. The chirps they made were strong. No one could ignore them. I tried to catch them in video, but I am not sure if their melody will be able to be heard from phone to upload to Yelp click. What I do know is that I heard something I did not expect, kind of like mother nature made art by joining her hands in a bird motion, while a light flash upon them and their shadow made, not only a bird in flight, but also the noise that accompanies the dark cloud in flight.
My first stop of the evening was the Art Armory. I was walking, without a plan, but did have some stops in mind. When of the things I did there was get a ball of clay, and in the middle I put seeds. Then I could put stuff outside of it. I started with a lot of seeds, the ones that I know as pepitas. I wanted to know if I could grow some. I could not tell you what these seeds were but I can say that in my own, I plan to help Mother's Nature creative streak continue with my own finger project.
I did mount a shuttle. Not sure where I was going. I ended up in the Pasadena Playhouse, I think. They had musical numbers. I walked up in heard notes of familiar songs but I cannot readily recall them. And of course there is beauty in that. Because I remember the notes hitting while still not remembering the lyrics that wafted via the air. One of the songs was the one that went, you stare at a blank page, and the day has to unfold, or something about a new chapter. It was the opening of the original Devil Wears Prada Moive. It defintetly had that motivating girl power message. And someitmes I too can remember to empower myself through song, so I vastly appreciated the moment.
I cannot write how much I love this art night. I heard music from countries I will never busy. I saw dancing at the USC Museum and learned about the Silk Trade. And its courtyard, is where I heard the music that I overheard someone describe as Pakistani, but I do not want to fully define what I do not know.
I made an intent to take many pictures to have someone live this moment kind of like a photo book or photo essay. I know I am not the photographer that took that photo of the ape drinking from a leaf or the one who took the picture of the woman in the desert with those striking eyes but I think I take better pictures than crackers in a bowl of soup.
