Cultural Cocktail Hour
Art Review: An uplifting immersion at the Getty Center
by Leticia Marie Sanchez
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Installed in the Getty Center entrance hall on the occasion of the summer solstice, Mercedes Dorame’s mixed media installation, “Looking Back,” is figuratively and literally uplifting.
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An uplifting universe floats above the Getty Center foyer. The lustrous shells represent Abalone, which hold a special place in Dorame’s Tongva culture. The Abalone not only served as food but also as ceremonial elements for the Gabrielino Tongva tribe.
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The filter on the Getty center windows, changes the color of shells, depending on how the sunlight filters through at any given moment, evoking the underwater experience.
I paired my video with the music from the Aquarium movement of Saint-Saens “Carnival of the Animals,” due to its aquatic theme.
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Cultural Cocktail Hour Editor-In-Chief Leticia Marie Sanchez