Aftershock

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Dino Dinco

Tunnel Site (GP 01), 2006



The first in a series of site-specific and time-based works staged in pre-existing tunnels.


This first tunnel I chose for both location and usage: an equestrian & pedestrian tunnel connecting Griffith Park and the Los Angeles River.  This particular tunnel passes under the Golden State Freeway / Interstate 5 around Colorado Street. 


I positioned a 25 lb. bag of carrots (carrots being a common snack for horses) at the halfway point through the tunnel, intentionally leaving the bag sealed.  The midway point of this tunnel coincides with the median strip of the overhead freeway, through which natural light streams in during the day.  I then photographed the installation of the carrots and recorded the ambient audio of the freeway traffic passing overhead.  


One of my goals with this project is that I wanted to intentionally introduce an object (or several objects) into a public environment, in hopes to inspire or instigate some kind of  physical interaction with the physical object(s) and the public who move through the space, yet to not be concerned with the outcome of what happens to the object(s).  Sometimes, the object(s) will have relevance to the space, but not always.


Some of the more obvious outcomes with this particular installation might be:  Someone on horseback stops to break open the bag to give a carrot to his or her horse; someone takes the whole bag, possibly a homeless person who resides in or around the Los Angeles River; a Park Ranger collects the bag and throws it away, etc.  Maybe these are only obvious outcomes to me, but again, I'm not concerned with what happens with the object(s).


As I was finishing up the installation, I was crouched down to photograph one of the tunnel's entrances.  From the opposite end, three people on horseback entered the tunnel.  As the sun was very bright outside, the horseriders were largely backlit and I couldn't really make out what they were doing.  I could hear their voices and the clip-clop of the horses'  hooves.  I heard a female rider say several times, "It's a full bag of carrots!"  Then maybe one of them mentioned about taking the bag or something similar.  I can't recall.  One of the riders called out to me, asking me to stand up, since my crouching might spook the horse.  I stood up and said hello, watching the horses pass with their riders.