The Borrowed Kazan

"The Borrowed Kazan" project engaged with the residents of Osh, Kyrgyzstan through the medium of food in September 2009. By cooking and serving food in a temporary street cafe in the bazaar, we interacted with bazaar laborers and shoppers from all walks of life. Our project had three objectives: opening a street cafe in the middle of Osh bazaar; creating the cafe as an art installation; interacting with local communities and generating conversation.

Diagnosis

Speed Pinckney's auto shop "Enthusiast Automotive" is a microcosm for the shifting urban landscape in North Oakland, California. Not only does Speed’s shop provide tangible services to the neighbors through auto-mechanics, but over time, his space has also become a community center. Together with Speed, his colleagues, and residents, we explore the neighborhood and its history. (Fall 2010)

Diplomats

In September 2008, we collaborated with Tengri Umai, the first independent gallery in Almaty, Kazakhstan. We participated in and documented a graffiti arts festival. The project involved over twenty graffiti and hip hop artists. Another part of the project was to interact with the children in an orphanage in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, by using graffiti art.

The Transformations of Space

The Transformations of Space in Almaty, Kazakhstan was a project undertaken in the summer 2007. Initially imagined as an investigation of Almaty's urban history through artists' studios, this project ultimately became a documentation of the construction that took place before the worldwide financial crisis of the early 21st century.

DrawBridge Murals

In April 2009, Daniel Gallegos and Monica Linzner organized a graffiti mural project at the Henry Robinson Multi-Services Center for Displaced Families in Oakland, California. The objective was to personalize the environment for children who have been recently displaced and in transition through art. The children along with the teachers from DrawBridge collaborated to make a mural that would promote shared belonging and identification with their current home at the Center.