Levi's Film Workshop Opens at MOCA
Imagine attending a four month long interactive collaborative film workshop with some high tech film making equipment and some of most talented filmmakers and artists in the business. Well….that’s exactly what Levi’s has created. Following on the heels of its successful Print Workshop in San Francisco and Photo Workshop in New York, the iconic denim brand is set to debut the Levi’s Film Workshop in Los Angeles at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
The workshop is being held in conjunction with the “Art in the Streets” exhibition which opens on April 17. The exhibition is the first comprehensive museum showing in the U.S. devoted to graffiti and street art – ever. Think Shepard Fairey, Keith Haring, Banksy, Mister Cartoon, Chaz Bojórquez and more – all under one roof.
The Levi’s workshop series originated last year in conjunction with its “Ready to Work” Go Forth campaign. “The Go Forth campaign was really a powerful statement about America, the zeitgeist, what was happening and where we felt Levi’s had historically fit and fits now. So this was a really, really interesting way to bring it to the streets and bring it back to the community,” said Joshua Katz from Levi’s marketing. In the Los Angeles community, filmmaking is the obvious craft to celebrate. “We are interested in exploring different crafts and honoring the entire tradition of each of those crafts. Hopefully with that we’re able to address a broad audience - whether the filmmakers, printmakers or photographers,” said Katz.
Held in collaboration with the “Art in the Streets” exhibition, the workshop will help bring underground subcultures into everyday life. “Here, we use film as a way of connecting with skate boarders, artists, foodies and musicians. Hopefully we can create experiences and projects that bring all that together,” said Katz. Throughout the workshop, Levi’s will collaborate with pioneering filmmakers and artists including Spike Jonze, Alex Stapleton, Cat Solen and Swoon to create films on L.A. subcultures including graffiti artists, skateboarding and food trucks - think Kogi BBQ. There will also be city-wide film screenings and weekly educational workshops taught by top resources such as the Echo Park Film Center.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to explore the resources available to the public at the workshop space. There are an immense number of hands on tools to create everything from slow motion videos to 3-D animated films on the spot. Work stations such as a green screen “cyc,” Phonotrope and stop motion animation station are available to the public. Attendees can use computers and edit suites provided by Intel Corporation as well as professional video, audio, animation and design software by Adobe. Levi’s will also have vintage and modern cameras such as Super 8, flips and DSLR’s as well as sound equipment and grip and lighting gear rentals available free of charge. For those who can’t make it to Los Angeles to participate, Levi’s will be streaming all educational workshops through Facebook where they can interact via live chats.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Levi’s event without a denim component in the mix. Levi’s has collaborated with MOCA to create a limited-edition collection of trucker jackets featuring artwork by eleven of the artists in the “Art in the Streets” exhibition. “It’s an extension of our involvement and integration into the MOCA show, but also our desire to support and elevate the artists that have been holding it down for years and years and years and some of the newer ones that are defining the future,” said Katz. Artists included Haring, Kenny Scharf, Neck Face, Lady Pink, Fairey and more. The Bojórquez and Lady Pink jackets will launch this weekend and every other week another jacket will be released. All proceeds benefit MOCA.
"Art in the Streets" will be at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA from April 17 to August 8.
For more information and a full list of programming at the Levi's Film Workshop, go to http://workshops.levi.com
The Levi's Film Workshop.
Get crazy at the slow motion video station....
The Phonotrope station at the Levi's Film Workshop.
The "Art in the Streets" exhibition opens at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA this weekend.
Celebrating street art..
The exhibition includes a wide range of street art, graffiti, photography and more.
Denim jacket with Lady Pink artwork.
"Wires Crossed" by Ed Templeton includes imagery documenting skate culture from 1994 to 2010.
