by Leticia Marie Sanchez

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.

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.

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.

Cultural Cocktail Hour Editor-In-Chief Leticia Marie Sanchez