String Theory Productions

The LA Giant Harp Public Arts Partnership is a performance and public workshop residency that brings free music, dance, and arts education to underserved communities. The 2050 Fund will enable the partnership of String Theory and Artists for Literacy to launch this project together in 2013. It will transform Los Angeles public space and architecture into sonic sculptures while celebrating the culture and diversity of this great city. String Theory is an established LA-based performance group. We design and build giant Harps that transform architecture into beautiful large scale instruments, which are visually and sonically spectacular. The LA Giant Harp Public Arts Partnership is an expansion of our regular 10-year programming. In partnership with Artists for Literacy, this project is designed to embolden people’s perspectives on where art lives, who owns it, and its powerful role in LA society now and in the future. It will foster a deeply needed connection between audience members, artists, and the communities in which we all live. We have chosen 3 locations in LA for our residency programs. Each residency has 3 components: a grassroots advocacy and outreach campaign that celebrates the arrival of our project and ensures that it’s no secret and everyone feels free to participate; free arts education workshops open to people of all ages and abilities (these yield works of art that are then integrated into the performance); site-specific performances that integrate music, giant harps, dance, and audience engagement – all in non-traditional spaces with free access. The criteria used for choosing each of the 3 locations is based the area’s need for public art and arts education, and the area’s architecture, specifically having historically significant structures that are currently under-appreciated. The locations will be vetted by our advisory board, a board that draws from a unique blend of Los Angeles stakeholders including the Director, Government and Public Affairs of American Institute of Architects, LA Chapter, and a professor of Urban Planning at UCLA. These advisors will ensure that the buildings in our locations are deeply considered for their cultural and historical significance. Here’s a more specific breakdown:` Outreach and Advocacy: Artists for Literacy is non-profit org that has leveraged the power of music and dance to marshal diverse audiences around a common issue since 2000. The artistry of String Theory Productions enables us to create a forum for dynamic exchange around the connection between physical movement and personal well-being, and provide written and experiential learning tools that bring home memorable and meaningful connections between the place, the art, the audience and the issue. We have a commitment to make art and information accessible to people of all abilities and learning styles. Community Workshops: We have run these workshops over the past 10 years all around Los Angeles. They embrace people of all ages and abilities. These Art Circle workshops encourage people to draw, move and listen. The workshop is highly adaptable to all communities. Their performance pieces then become integrated in to the larger String Theory show. We design these workshops to make a tangible connection between the community, the space and the artists. By weaving parts of their story into ours, we break down the '4th wall' of communication between art and the audience. This fosters a profound inclusion that, when experienced by participants, can lead to a shift in their perceptions of where art fits into their lives. Interactive Performances: String Theory is known for our signature giant Harp installations combined with music and dance. We have performed all over LA, including Ford Amphitheater, The Van Nuys Bus Terminal, TED, The Broad Stage, The Getty Museum, MOCA, and The Grammy’s, By utilizing our signature large scale sonic sculpture, String Theory transforms space into giant interactive instruments which become the landscape in which our performances unfold. The creative work inspired by the Community Workshop participants is integrated into String Theory’s performance -- including the participants themselves. The impact this project will have on the Arts & Culture indicator can be qualified through the cultural invigoration of specific communities that have had limited access to the arts, the celebration of culturally diverse communities coming together around art, the experience of art in unconventional spaces, increased awareness of the architecture of Los Angeles as it is a focal point in the Giant Harp installation and performance, increased health awareness as it relates to movement and dance, social connectedness (via our flash drive give-aways at the end of each performance that encourage a deeper look into their own community, the Giant Harp program and its participants), and free arts education from all three components of the project.