S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition on today's Arts and Culture show. We're talking about fashion , theater and the events happening around San Diego this weekend. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. Have you ever heard of slow fashion ? Well , now there's an entire day dedicated to it. Hear all about that. Then what's next for the La Jolla Playhouse ? As artistic Director Christopher Ashley steps down. Plus will open up the weekend arts calendar to talk about what's happening around town. That's ahead on Midday Edition. So you might have heard of fast fashion , where cheap clothes are mass produced around the world , often to meet ever evolving trends , but that comes at a heavy environmental cost. In fact , the fast fashion industry generates about 92 million tons of textile waste each year. Well , earlier this month , San Diego became the first major U.S. city to formally recognize Slow Fashion Day. And my next two guests are local fashion experts who played a big part in that effort. Claudia Rodriguez is the founder of So Loca , a sewing shop and studio in Barrio Logan , and Christopher Carson is an organizer and founder of the Homegrown Project , which is a community initiative that spreads awareness about sustainability and slow fashion. Claudia , Chris , welcome to the show.
S2: Thank you. Thank you. So nice to be here. You all were.
S1: Both pumping your fist when I said that we got slow fashion day going. So I mean , you know , we do have this slow fashion day. It's in response to the textile waste. Um , fast fashion creates. So help me understand more about the environmental impact of fashion. Fast fashion. Claudia ? Yes.
S2: So , um , textile waste is number two. Pollutant. And so , um , you know , we understand that people are just buying and buying and buying and it's good to buy , um , more mindfully. And so we just want to give people an alternative of how to do better with their clothes. And so instead of it being like a throwaway culture , we want to show people how to be more sustainable within their own clothes.
S1: But Chris , like where where does this pollution end up.
S3: Man ? Great question. So it usually ends up in third world countries and landfills. Um , there's one in the Atacama Desert in , um , that you can see all the pile of clothes from space. Um , and that's mind blowing because that's a very long , very far away from Earth , and you can see it from space. So , they also ends up in Accra , Ghana too. They have a secondary market where they try to get rid of all of our clothes , but to no avail. Those clothes end up in the sea and there's like long lines of clothes that are entrenched in sand and end up in the ocean , and they help contribute to microplastics that end up in the ocean as well , and help the world destroy wildlife at the same time. So yeah , it's very terrible. And it's just a giant wall that the fashion industry has to keep us away from knowing all this stuff , too. So it's kind of like out of sight , out of mind when you see a shirt for like three bucks and you say , I gotta have it.
S1: Yeah , yeah. Well , Claudia , the idea then for Slow Fashion Day actually came from Francis slow fashion week. Talk more about that and how the idea was born and what slow fashion is. Exactly.
S2: And I was like , whoa. And so I feel like. And I'm pretty sure Chris could agree with me that , like , slow fashion and like a textile artist and like the our , our realm of work where we create everything out of recycled , repurposed and reclaimed fabrics , we don't feel like we are treated as like , you know , equals in the fashion industry because it's made out of recycled goods. And we're a little bit more mindful and conscious and all those kind of things. And so we're like , wow , that's really cool that they actually , you know , um , saw it as like a , like a potential fashion week. And so we're like , this is so great. And so we basically were like , we should do something like that here in San Diego. And , you know , Chris was like , we should have a fashion show. And we were like , let's have different stations where we could show people how to use a sewing machine. So we had over 30 sewing machines. We had a station of where we can create a tote bag out of a t shirt , because we understand that t shirts are one of the most donated pieces of items in thrift stores. And so we're like , this would be great for us to have that. We had an embroidery lounge. We had an area for people to just jazz up anything that they wanted. Um , and so we understand that if you customize something , you're more likely to keep it for longer. And so we want people to keep their things for longer. We want for people to leave with , you know , a skill that they can mend and repair at home.
S1: So then the slow fashion is is taking your clothes , customizing them , making them unique , yes , to your own fashion and taste and all that stuff. Yes. Wow. So , Chris , San Diego is , you know , kind of paving the way here.
S3: It's been super exciting. We've heard from folks in Portland , and then even someone in Seattle and a couple other cities too , that they wanted to bring this also to their city. So really , the big goal is just to inspire others to bring it to other cities and make it a nationwide movement , because it's not going to be one person that's going to solve this. It takes a whole community to to just raise awareness and to change how we have our relationship with our clothing and our planet. Wow.
S1: Wow. So how would you describe San Diego as a scene for slow fashion ? I mean , what makes this city special for sustainability ? Claudia. Um.
S2: Um. On Sunday , it was so amazing what happened ? Santa. So we had slow fashion day. Okay. And so , um , it was so awesome to watch everyone , like , create. And so. And , you know , it was like such a fun process , right , of , like , you get to redesign your clothes and you get to do it however you've wanted it to be. And so I feel like San Diego makes it like a perfect place because it's such a picturesque , you know , city , right , where , you know , we want to take in our clothes and we don't want them to end up in our beaches or , you know , in our landfills or any of that kind of stuff , or even on the sidewalks. You see them all the time. Like someone drops something , it stays there for some time. And so how do we , you know , approach that and make it into like a fun , enjoyable experience. And we're already doing those things by like thrifting , by doing , um , clothing swaps , things like that. And so I feel like we are like the perfect city to , to leave that leave , leave this movement.
S1:
S3: She hit her on the head. I think it's just perfect. I feel like there was a young community here that is really into thrifting , but also making their own clothes , and they may not have access to be able to do this , especially on the knowledge , because it kind of seems intimidating to begin sewing. But , um , this event really opened up the floodgates to make it happen and to really put San Diego on the map as like the sustainable city , you know , that really started it all. Um , and with San Diego being the most biodiverse city in the nation , um , we're really making a stand and saying like , hey , we want to protect San Diego. We want to protect our wildlife and make sure that we maintain the lifestyle that we all enjoy today. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. An example for the world , right ? Exactly.
S3: Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , Claudia , for you , um , mending clothes and upcycling came out of necessity. Yes. Last time we had you on the show , we talked about some of your journey.
S2: Um , you know , I love teaching people how to , you know , be more sustainable within their own clothes. And we have a sewing studio. And so , you know , I love having people come in and they're just kind of like , wow. Like , I've never seen a sewing studio that's like completely open where you could see where everything is being made. And so they get really nostalgic about those kind of things. And so for me , you know , we get people that come in and they're like , this is so inspiring. I've always wanted to be like a designer. And so , um , I think the sustainable route of like going to a thrift store , buying something , you know , um , redesigning how you wanted it to be. I feel like that is such an easy way of entering the fashion industry. And that , for me , was the way that this became accessible for me. And so I feel like this really does create an accessible route for young designers to not feel so intimidated or or not feel like they need a lot of funding to start their , their , their fashion career. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S3: Um , when I first moved to California , I got really sick and I didn't know what was wrong with me for four years of my life. So with that uncertainty , um , my. I was in a really dark place trying to figure out , you know , what was going to happen , what I was going to do. So I started drawing again. I was really , like , artistic as a kid. So I started drawing , painting and making tie dye shirts. And with these tie dye shirts , I had to put tags on them. So I finally borrowed a sewing machine. And then I learned how to sew , and then started sewing tags and then shout out to my parents because they bullied me. They were making fun of me because my favorite pair of pants I didn't want to get rid of had tie dye stains on it , and they said , hey , you're never going to meet your future wife , you know , dressing like that. So I said , okay , I'll show you. So I went , I , uh , I learned about upcycling at a LA event. Um , there was a guy who was like , upcycling jeans into bags , and I was like , oh , snap , you could really do this. So I went to goodwill , got decorative napkins , and made those my favorite jeans into , uh , cargo pants , like camo pants. Okay , so. And I got so many compliments on it , I was like , hey , maybe , maybe this could be something. Um , so then I eventually found out I had Lyme disease , and it's derived from a tick bite. So these this disease is becoming more prevalent because our planet is heating up. And so in climate change. So once I heard that , I was like , oh no , this is what I really needed to do with my life. And I've been dedicated to upcycling ever since because I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through.
S1: Yeah , well , well , congratulations on finding your path. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. You know. Yeah.
S1: Well , you know , how would you describe your style and design philosophy ? Like , how have you been able to express yourself artistically through your clothes ? I'll start with you on that one , Claudia. Awesome.
S2: Awesome. Um , I feel like there's a lot of influence in , like , DIY punk. Um , I love that , you know , that time frame of me being , like , a teenager and a rebellious teenager and going to , like , punk shows , and , you know , I remember , you know , sitting in my bed and my friends would come over and they would be like , so my backpack on to like my jacket. And so I was pretty good at it , you know. And they were like , this looks too perfect. And so I've always loved it. I feel like it really allowed for me to slow down. And so I feel like there's a lot of that kind of inspo. And , you know , I like I always tell my daughter whenever she's sewing , I tell her I'm like , make something that you won't be able to find at the store. So she's like , what does that mean ? And I'm like , you know , add like touches that you'll never be able to find at the store. You know , maybe decorative thread , you know , that is going to make it pop. And so for me , like I love more and more and more and contrasting. And so I love for it to be like the busiest you've ever seen on something. So that's definitely like my style.
S1:
S2: My dad was a denim distributor , so I feel like I'm having to clean up his mess. And so , so I love denim. Um , you know , um , wool , I love wool , um , Cottons. Silks. All those are are. They sound juicy to me. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. There you go. All right , Chris , what about you ? Like , what's your.
S1: Describe your fashion. And.
S3: Sorry I had to wipe my mouth when she was saying all those fabrics cause you're salivating.
S4: Salivating ? Oh , well. All right. Sick.
S3: Um , yeah. So my style , um. I grew up loving hip hop. Like , hip hop is my life. Um , and I in with videos and everything , you would learn the new fashion trends. And being a kid , I would always try to keep up. But , uh , with my parents budget and where we are , where we were financially , we didn't have it. So I would always go to like the clearance rack or thrift stores and try to make do with what I had. Um , and that was just a huge influence on me because I realized that with , um , just with that whole hip hop culture , man , it's all about standing out and being unique , um , and being different. So , um , I've always been kind of like the the the kid who always does stuff different. So I guess a lot of my stuff is around like hip hop , but also like my childhood was really , really important to me. So I just tried to bring different elements of my childhood into the clothes so it can waken , you know , the child , the inner child and all of us to realize that we're really connected and not different. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , I want to talk about the accessibility of slow fashion , because , Chris , you mentioned how , you know , it might feel intimidating to learn some of these skills like sewing and stitching and whatnot. So how are you shifting that narrative ? Mhm.
S4:
S3: Man I so you know , it's crazy. I think there's a preconceived notion that like sewing is really like a female dominated , uh , practice. And for me especially being a man of color , um , I want to like , break down that whole stigma that anyone can do it. It doesn't matter what you look like where you come from. I know some people have a stigma that you have to be older to do it , you know , and experience , but know you can pick it up at any time and it really creates a spark. You know , once you start getting consistent with it , you get lost in it. And it's and it's so much fun. So really just making a we try to do that by just having like edutainment like have you be entertained , but also you can learn something and get an invaluable skill out of it.
S1: That's pretty cool , Claudia.
S2: I feel like I've always wanted to be a teacher , and so I'm very non-traditional where I'm like , don't have like these gnarly expectations of like , it has to be perfect. I feel like , you know , um , the sewing industry has always been like , it has to be perfect because it's being sold somewhere. And so everything that we're wearing is mass produced , and there's a certain quality that has to be put out. And so for me , I'm always like , don't expect perfection. Perfection will come in time. And even then it's like there's so many cool little hacks that we use where it's like there's sewing guides , there's this , there's that. And so , you know , when you really talk to someone that's a professional in that field , they will tell you , like , if you do this , it makes it easier. If you do that , it makes it easier. And so that's why for me , I'm like , what do you want to do ? What's your vision ? I want to , like guide you through it to make it so easy for you to continue to fall in love with it , because we do understand that , um , sustainability is it's only going to make a huge impact if it's accessible for everyone. Right. And so currently right now as like designers and if we try to sell our clothes , like if you compare it to like stuff that's being sold at like , you know , big chains , like it's really hard to basically look at something that Chris made and basically be like , that's a hundred and something dollars. And then I could get it somewhere else for , you know , $5. And so it's a really huge jump because we're not thinking about , like , you know , the exploitation that's happening in like these other countries where , you know , people are really taking advantage of , of their workers. And we're also not , you know , putting into consideration all the livable wages that go into producing a garment here in the States. And , you know , the skill , because slow fashion is basically us creating one garment , one person. It's not about , you know , in a factory where it's like there's 20 people and like everyone has like one small part in it. It's basically like you're you're reverse engineering , like this whole thing where it's like we're building a whole garment and that takes so much skill to basically , you know , take something from nothing into like a three dimensional shape that you can wear. Wow.
S1: Wow. And that's a huge part of it , too. You mentioned the exploitation as well. That is a huge part of this. In the last minute. 30s we have , how do you suggest people go about embracing slow fashion in their everyday lives ? Like what ? Something someone can do right now after listening to the segment.
S2: I think going thrifting , fixing your Senior holes. Um , you know , um , I feel like mending and repairing is , like , a lot of fun. Like , take the time. Like , maybe you're watching a TV show and you could sit there and fix a hole. Um , learn how to sew. Like , it's. It's a lot of fun. Um. And even if you don't end up doing it , at least you understand the value of , like , someone actually doing it. Yeah.
S4: Yeah.
S1: All right. Chris.
S4: Chris. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. Exactly what she said.
S4: Okay , I want to. I.
S3: I.
S4:
S3: Um , if you don't feel like creating your own. Excellent.
S1: Excellent. Excellent advice. Well , congratulations to you both on Slow Fashion Day. Thank you. And thanks for all that you're doing. I've been speaking with Claudia Rodriguez Burzynski , founder of the sewing studio solo , and Christopher Carson , founder of the Homegrown Project. Claudia. Chris , thank you so very much.
S4: Thank you.
S1: Coming up on Midday Edition , Christopher Ashley is about to step down as artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse , and he recalls arriving in 2007 when San Diego was literally burning.
S5: San Diego was on fire. And I did sort of wonder if that's what it's going to be like here making theater in the middle of flames. But it wasn't a bad metaphor. I think San Diego is on fire and remains.
S1: Ashley reflects on his 18 years at the Playhouse and about what's next for him and the theater company here. More when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Christopher Ashley is a longtime icon in San Diego's theater scene. At the end of this year , he closes out his tenure as the artistic director at La Jolla Hoya Playhouse. During his 18 years at the Playhouse , he directed more than 20 productions. Oversaw the development of 50 world premieres and spearheaded 20 shows to Broadway. Among those are the hit Tony Award winning musicals The Outsiders and Come From Away. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando recently sat down with Ashley to talk about his career at the Playhouse and what's next.
S6: Christopher , you are about to leave La Jolla Playhouse now. You came here in 2007 , and you had some kind of big shoes to fill when des McAnuff was leaving.
S5: Like making theater in the middle of flames. But it wasn't a bad metaphor. You know , I think San Diego is on fire and remains. And I think it's an incredible theater community full of amazing artists doing amazing work. So it's a third of my life that I've been here my 18 years , and it will always be a like real cornerstone of my life in the theater.
S6:
S5: But I really wanted to do festival. I just I love festivals and the way people experience them. And you're in line for one show and you hear about another show and you run over and get tickets that kind of. And there's food and there's drink and , and and it feels like a big party. So I'm really glad that the Wow Festival came to be. It's also the I really wanted to to lean Into world premieres. And we have done , I think , 50 or so in my time here , and I think 20 of our shows have gone on to Broadway , and it's the how many artists have have premiered their show here has been a real point of pride for me , and I think the whole staff.
S6:
S5: I love that theater celebrates language , so I'm very much attracted to writers who have a voice and have a love of language and humanity. I very much appreciate when when authors center joy in some way. When an audience takes the time to come to La Jolla Playhouse , I really want them to. To leave feeling richer , feeling inspired , feeling sometimes challenged , but always having had an experience that they didn't quite expect , but that maybe was a little more hopeful than they than they knew it was going to be.
S6: Now , I've interviewed you many times in this library , and it has that quote that I love so much , which is about a safe harbor for unsafe ideas.
S5: I mean , I think our mission is is bold and it's it very much centers the art. I think this theater has an amazing history , first under des McAnuff and Michael Greif and then des again of supporting. really amazing artists at the top of their fields , inviting in new and emerging artists and really being at the forefront of the American theatrical conversation.
S6: You've had a lot of musicals here , and you've directed a lot of those.
S5: I mean , other , you know , new musicals are created in London and South Africa and other places as well. But it's it's really centered in America. And the ability to kind of go into music contains all the possibilities of exploring the human imagination and psychology and get inside characters heads in a way that I think is tremendously exciting. They're really hard to get right. New musicals. There are just so many elements that have to all the stars have to combine perfectly , but when you get them right , they're thrilling.
S6: And I know this is like asking someone who their favorite child is , however. Do you have any shows that you are either particularly fond of , or that had a challenge that you were particularly excited about meeting.
S5: Seems to me like a great story to tell.
S7: One two. One two. Three. Five.
S8: To the friends who have come from away. Welcome to the locals who have always said they'd stay where you're coming from. Toledo. Are you coming from Taipei ? Because we come from everywhere.
S7: We come from always. Welcome to the Rock Island Highlander. I am an Islander by and Islander. I am an Islander I got it. I am an auditor. I am not a deer. I am an island. Earth.
S9: Welcome to our island. With its inlets and its bays. You could keep on heading east , but there's an ocean in the air.
S8: Where everything is meant to be. But nothing goes as planned. And the joke is felt as in the room , a pain in the band.
S5: Also , the Wow Festival , which started out as an every other year site specific and immersive festival that goes around the city. There's so many of those experiences that to me are really unforgettable. I think about the very first festival we had when a puppeteer named Basil Twist created a piece that rose up out of the ocean down at La Jolla Shores. Aphrodite came out of the ocean. A group of surfers then kind of adored her. She turned around and on the back of her was a sea monster. She ate the rest of the cast and then returned down into the water. It was a puppet piece at the ocean , and I think we did it six times. And every time we did it , twice as many people saw it , right ? So it was just word of mouth extravaganza of cross , a weekend and that kind of just like the word would sweep the beach if they're doing that weird thing again , is exactly what what you want to make. It also just maybe pull out a third thing , which is I did not inaugurate the pop tour. This is a new show that goes out every year to primary schools in the San Diego area. Actually it was that was started under Dess administration. But I do have such a strong memory of the first time I saw one of our shows in a cafeteria , and for so many of those students , this was their first experience of theater and watching their kind of minds expand to how this kind of creativity could work , and as their own imaginations kicked in. That sense of kind of wonder and possibility. It's why I do what I do.
S6: So are there any of the shows that you felt really tried to push the envelope in some way , either in terms of topic or style ? Was there anything , whether you directed it or you brought in , that you really felt was pushing the envelope.
S5: Well in wow 20 shows a season ever festival , right ? They're all pushing the envelope in some way. I was really excited that the Playhouse audience was all in for. Is it Thursday yet ? This was a dance piece. Single dancer on stage telling a story of her own diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder , kind of in the middle of her life , and how that changed so many things about how she understood what her life was. She didn't speak until the very last 20s of the show. It was , like , unconventional in every possible way for a theater goer , and the audience sort of flocked to it with incredible warmth. So I feel like again and again , I've been so impressed by the Playhouse audience how loyal they are , how open to experimentation they are , and how excited they are to see some new work of art be born.
S6: And that's something people can actually enjoy as a documentary. That gives you a little backstory to that. Absolutely.
S5: Absolutely. There's a wonderful documentary about the kind of the making of that piece , which definitely includes a La Jolla Playhouse chapter.
S6: Well , and I also want to bring up the fact that you had to steer the Playhouse through the pandemic , which was probably something that no artistic director could have foreseen happening.
S5: Yeah , that was as hard as it gets. And the board , together with Debbie and I , committed to keeping the administrative staff on throughout the pandemic , which was fantastic as opposed to furloughing them. So we had amazing conversations about what is the culture of the playhouse , what is our strategic vision moving forward ? We made a lot of digital art during that period of time when we couldn't make live theatre. So a lot of actually the artists who have always made Wow pieces came together and made. We made 14 different digital art pieces during that time. It was also a really satisfying time to write a paycheck to an artist , because there was no nothing else for them to do in live performing. But yeah , that was as crazy as a period gets. It's easy to forget. Like , you know , it was. So every day of that was so intense. And I think so much of our current society , we're dealing with what's happening today. It's easy to forget how kind of epochal that was. This is going to go on. As long as it's going to go on. We're going to try to take the best care of our patrons and our staff that we can. We're going to make whatever art we can for people to consume on their computers , and we're going to keep this community as vibrant as it can be. There was a lot of really amazing conversations with artists and audiences. We did these things called something called coffee with the Playhouse , which were incredibly well attended , and there was amazing conversations about art and humanity and politics and theater and performance. It was just really great community building went on in that period. But , um , hopefully that's a once in a lifetime experience that will not be repeated in my lifetime.
S6:
S5: I'm so sad to be leaving the Playhouse and so excited to be moving toward roundabout. They have three Broadway theaters , two Off-Broadway theaters , a really extraordinary history of amazing artists who make their home there. And they've been kind of in the forefront of the American theatrical conversation in a way that's that's very excited to be a part of.
S6:
S5: Really amazing training programs are broadening and deepening the talent pool here constantly. I think the impact between the Playhouse and the globe , and many of the most amazing work at San Diego Rep and many of the small and mid-sized theaters. The impact that we're having on the American theatrical conversation is enormous. Really , if you think about how many important new American shows started in San Diego , it's enormous , and I'm really proud to have been part of that. I'd also say that the health of the Playhouse is so much due to the people who work here. The people who are on our board and our audiences. It's really like a theater is the people who make the art and and experience the art there. And this has been an amazing group of people. The board is , I think , the envy of nonprofits in America. Our staff is top notch. You know , I walked down in the prop shop every day and see these artists making these unbelievable things and responding to these shows day in , day out. And our the the kind of adventurousness of our audience I value incredibly. I'd also say that so much of my experience of being here for 18 years has been being in partnership with the managing directors I've worked with , and for the last decade it's been Debbie Buckles , who is a fantastic partner. She's just it's incredible fun to come to work every day and solve problems with her. And she's so great with people. She's such a great kind of caretaker of the playhouse and the and fights fiercely for the people who work here and has a real art forward kind of approach that I've loved working with.
S6:
S5: I think that they're going to be an amazing leader for the Playhouse. It's also what a great job to step into right now. There's so many strengths at the Playhouse , and I think my successor is going to bring kind of an Incredible directorial prowess and great taste , and also a real kind of humane vision for how you build community.
S1: That was The Hoya Playhouse's outgoing artistic director , Christopher Ashley , speaking with KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando. His final play , Working Girl , runs through December 14th. The Playhouse's new artistic director will be announced next week on November 18th. Up next , Julia Dixon Evans joins us with this weekend's arts preview. KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman , so this weekend in the arts , you can find contemporary classical music , doom metal and immersive visual art that just plays tricks on your eyes. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , welcome.
S4: Hey , Jade.
S10: Thanks for having me.
S1: I'm so glad to have you here. Now , we got you on , Mike. All right , well , let's start with visual art. Tell us about Brandon Eugene Seacrest and his exhibit , threshold. Yeah.
S10: Yeah. So I actually just toured this at Bread and Salt. It's this really immersive experiential exhibit and the arts , basically the whole building , like , upstairs and downstairs. The first thing that I had seen of it online before I went were these they're like wires stretched out from a window above a stairwell. So it's kind of like a vanishing point made with these strings. I was expecting something site specific because of seeing that something playing with architecture , built environment of bread and salt. But I ended up being so surprised when I got there. The exhibit mostly revolves around color. There's a room that's painted entirely blue. The floor , the walls , and it's lit by a blue light. And then next to it , there's a stairwell that's painted entirely red and lit by , like , those red theater gels. So it's all all red everywhere. And it's actually a little unsettling to enter those rooms , to leave those rooms and have your eyes adjust. And so when Brandon Seacrest , the artist , was showing me around , I told him that I felt like my eyes were totally playing tricks on me , and he actually had an explanation for it.
S11: It's because you're getting both , like basically additive and subtractive color mixing happening , right ? You know , so I'm hitting all those things at the same time. If it were because this would be a blue room too , if it were white walls , but it wouldn't have the intensity and the kind of , I mean , honestly like sculptural quality. It has like it's a physicality of the paint. Um , uh , that is like , unavoidable , especially when you get into the red hallway. It's like you're just getting squeezed. I mean , for me , I feel like I'm getting squeezed or smothered by that color.
S10: And yeah , being in the red and the blue spaces , it also changes the way that the natural light elsewhere in the building looks. So when you leave that blue room or the red room , everything else is tinged like kind of this green or turquoise. It's really pretty wild. Yeah. And there are other sculptural elements too. Like there's a shell of an avocado tree that the bark that he stitched together with wire , it hangs from another skylight. He's also constructed almost like a mini church with pews that he built. And he cut a window into one of the interior walls of the gallery , covered it with gold leaf. And then on the other side of that window is this dimly lit theater with like theater seating. And when you sit in that dark room , that dark theater , you look out through the window at the gallery. So you're looking at the people sitting in those pews there , kind of unwittingly. Um , they're you're they're like your movie on the other side. It kind of implicates the viewer and being part of the art. And there is an actual painting. So it's not just like these architectural things , but the painting is , of course , gigantic. It's right when you walk in , there's a 50 foot wide canvas with these repeated paintings of like a bedsheet. It's part of the study of a single white bedsheet that Seacrest does. It's like this repetitive , almost meditative art practice , and he's done thousands of them so far. They're almost photorealistic , except for the fact that they're red , not white. Um , it almost looks like a theater curtain the way that they're they're hanging in the gallery. Right.
S4: Right.
S10: And then the way that he does this is using two paint colors. So he starts with red paints the canvas with this really vivid red , and then adds a blue. So it makes this darker shadow when painted over the red , and then he rubs away the blue to reveal the red. So it's almost like he creates the painting by removing paint. So I asked him about that because it seems really fascinating to me. Like , I wondered if there was any meaning in that process.
S11: I'm really more of a sculptor , right ? And it's a much more sculptural process. I mean , I really , I really look at them as like extremely low relief sculptures , right ? And so for me , it's it's there. I mean , there are finger paintings too. Like , I don't use a brush , so I wipe everything away physically with my thumb and my forefinger. That's how I get the composition. So it is much more like working in a sculptural medium.
S10: And as an artist , he's just building really interesting things that are accessible. They're cool , but they also have that , like , graininess to them. Like , his work has a place in contemporary art culture , but you could also just sit there and be mesmerized by it. Um , yeah. This exhibit threshold is on view at Bread and Salt through January 24th , so you have time to see it. The gallery's open 11 to 4 Tuesday through Saturday , and you can also pop into the handful of other galleries there in the complex. Everything is free , and while you're there , you can get coffee and a pastry from Private Show. Check out the Burn All Books newsstand that's there. I really love , like , spending an afternoon at Bread and Salt. It's such a hidden gem.
S1: Listen , all that sounds like such an experience. With.
S4: With.
S1: The art and all that. Oh.
S4: It's great.
S10: And the pastries ? Yeah.
S4: I mean , you can't.
S1: Go wrong with that. Well , let's talk about theater , because there's a new show opening in the South Bay called Young Audiences. So who's the playwright on this ? Tell me a bit about it.
S10: Yeah , this is Mabel Reynoso , and she is a local playwright , co-founder of the group Teatro Los Hermanos. She is a longtime teaching artist with Playwrights Project. Just super prolific and really engaged in using her plays and storytelling to build community. And she has a new play. This is the world premiere. It's opening Friday night at On Stage Playhouse in Chula Vista , and it's called Young Audiences. And it follows one woman , um , she has this Latina feminist play that gets switched out for Hamlet Junior the Musical at the school theater. So she goes to some pretty extreme lengths to get her play to audiences. Anyway , the the play , it is called Young Audiences , but Reynoso has said that it's definitely not for young audiences. Okay.
S4: Okay.
S10: And , um , one thing I love about on Stage Playhouse is they are committed to low ticket prices. Tickets are $15 for anybody under 30 , uh , seniors , educators , students also get a discount. And for everybody else , it's still lower than most other ticket prices at just $25 a ticket there shows Friday and Saturday at 8:00 and then Sunday at five. This weekend.
S1: Well , next we have a performance of contemporary chamber music inspired by mid-century design. So tell us about that one.
S10: Yeah , this is Art of Elan. They're doing a performance called Another View in correlation with this exhibit at the MinGW right now called Inside the Design Center. And the concert is at the Mingus. So you can check out the exhibit before the concert to the exhibits about mid-century design and craft. So like interior design , furniture and this is all stuff that is inspired by the work of Ilsa Rococo for her Hillcrest Design studio , for she and her husband , Lloyd's architecture firm. And you have a chance to check that out. Then go and check out the concert. They're performing work by contemporary composer Jessie Montgomery. This is her piece , strum. And they'll also play music by Ernest Bach and contemporary composer Caroline Shaw. This is Sunday at 7 p.m. at the main gate.
S1: All right. And there is a one book , one San Diego event also this weekend. Tell us a bit about noodles and noodles.
S10: This one's for the teens out there , but all ages are welcome. Author Tien Pham will be here in person and we'll share Vietnamese food. There's a mini art lesson and then a conversation about his book Family Style Memories of an American from Vietnam. This is a graphic memoir. It won the Eisner Award and of course , is the one book , one San Diego selection for teens this year. It chronicles his childhood as a refugee from Vietnam moving to America and the role of food in this journey. The event is Saturday from 11 to 1 here at KPBS on the San Diego State campus. It's free , but you'll need to RSVP online.
S1: All right. Finally , you have some some unique live music to spotlight. What's going on this weekend ? Yeah.
S10: One show on my radar is doom metal from San Diego's author and Punisher. It's a project of Tristan Schon. He's famous for these custom built what he calls drone machines. They're like giant mechanical industrial instruments where he slides like the mechanical elements across it creates like a drone noise. He has a new album out. It's called Nocturnal Birding. Um , each song is named after a bird. The one we're listening to right now is meadowlark. And he's playing at the Casbah tonight with King Joseph and Fitness. Um , and they sell earplugs at the bar. By the way , there should. This is probably going to be a loud show.
S4: That's very heavy.
S1: Yeah , well , you can find details on these and more arts events on our website at KPBS. Julia , thank you so much.
S10: Thank you. Jade.
S1: Hey , thanks for joining us today. If you missed anything , you can download KPBS Midday Edition on all podcast apps. Before I go , I want to thank the Midday Edition team producers Ashley Rush , Juliana Domingo and Andrew Bracken , senior producer Brooke Ruth , our segment contributors Beth Accomando and Julia Dixon Evans. Our technical producer is Brandon Truth. For the Midday Edition , theme music is from San Diego's own Surefire Soul Ensemble. The roundtable is here tomorrow. I'm Jade Hindman. We'll talk again Monday.
