Rolling up to Six Degrees Festival on Saturday Night I wasn’t quite sure what I’d find in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. I knew there would be a bunch of art and performances but beyond that it was just six identical opened roofed warehouses connected to each other by adjoining brick walls.
After parking Bessy I trotted a few blocks to the festivities. Jeremiah was painting a can for the Trashed exhibit and I wanted to use his camera to take some shots of the progress. After getting in and doing that I quickly learned that I’m not all that comfortable with a “real” camera. I have a new respect for people who can just walk up and take pictures of people. I guess it helps if you know how to use your camera.
Next to Trashed was a live art exhibit going on where a wall was being painted. It was quite cool to watch the progression and when you’ve got a few people working together it comes along pretty quick. DJ’s were spinnin in a couple rooms and they were getting ready for a fashion show in another. The far space was setup to show films and all along the front of the buildings were little booths setup for artists to sell their wares. Buffmonster had a little table setup with all kinds of buttons, art, and clothing. Next to that his girlfriend had a similar setup with a more feminine touch. Food was being exchanged for tickets and surprisingly there didn’t seem to be too many bars setup for this 21+ over event. That meant I better grab my token PBR quick before the lines started to form.
Back at the entrance was Leyla and her Hearts Challenger Ice Cream Truck. I quickly became a guinea pig for some interesting ice cream products she knew I’d never tried before. One looked really cool, mini spiral ice cream cone, and the other was a mini green tea creamsicle thingee. Even though I had already had a few treats and hadn’t eaten dinner, I couldn’t turn down a tasty Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwich by Mashti Malone’s. Keep your eye out for them, they’re some of the best treats out there.
I dished the camera off to Flounder who I ran into and then canvassed the joint enjoying my current feeling of being a high school social reject. Ah, the beauty of flashbacks. Since it’d been a while since I had that feeling I just rolled with it as I journeyed from room to room buying sunglasses, thank you cards, and eating candy set out by the vendors. The fashion show was going on so I peeped my head in and got a kick out of it. I’ve never seen a fashion show before and was somehow mesmerized by the tunes (Amon Tobin has that effect), the crowd, and the models. It was the way a fashion show should be, fun and not practical. Most of the stuff on the runway could actually be worn in public.
Upon checking up on Jeremiah, I peek around the corner and saw a bunch of strange people setting up the stage for a performance. There were unicorns walking around, little mushroom houses on stage, and a crowd was growing. Jeremiah and I watched as the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Circus took the stage and it only took about a minute before I bolted straight to the front, part instinct, but also to snap some pics (long story but Flounder’s ride was in jeopardy of getting towed). I don’t think anyone could quite figure out what was going on. Was it a dance troupe, a circus, a play? One thing for certain, it was an intoxicating blast. The soundtrack, created by Helios Jive ranged from acid jazz, to carnival music, to a mix of international flavor from all over the world. The sexy costumed characters came and went and each time they returned with something new, until everyone was on stage and it came to an end. Keep your eye out for this crew, they’ll be performing at Lucent Delirium on October 1st.
As much as I wanted to stick around to catch Breakestra it was time for me to head home and finally try to kick this three-week cold that won’t let me be. One thing I’ll say for sure is I’ll be back next year, hopefully with something fun to contribute.
