SOLO EXHIBIT 2020
REN Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles
January 18 to March 12, 2020
January 18, 2020 marked the opening night of SILENT OBSERVERS • DTLA — the first solo exhibition of the project.
After years in the making, and with the generous, unwavering support of gallery owner Renée Warren, SILENT OBSERVERS • DTLA opened at REN Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles. The event drew a full house (see video below), and the atmosphere was elevated by a live electronic set performed by my son, Noah Rodriguez — composer of many of the project’s original soundscapes. It was an unforgettable night, and I couldn’t have asked for more.
Originally scheduled for a shorter run, the exhibit was extended by an extra month and ultimately closed on March 12, 2020, in response to COVID-19 mandates.
Bringing this show to life was an incredibly rewarding experience. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who contributed their time, energy, and support to make it a reality.
Photographs of the Opening Reception.
For this special occasion, original digital files were printed as silver gelatin prints using an Océ Lightjet printer on archival Ilford Galerie FB Digital black and white photographic paper, produced at Weldon Color Lab in Los Angeles, California.
Each print was mounted in a custom-designed, one-piece welded aluminum frame. The clean, minimalist design of the frames echoes the architectural focus of the project, giving each photograph a distinct sculptural presence.
The exhibit featured 14 pieces in total: ten framed prints — four of which were paired with dedicated LCD screens displaying accompanying time-lapse footage, as well as a unique Photo Box containing 18 limited edition silver gelatin prints, and a special-edition Giclée poster of the exhibition. In the back room, a 75” LCD screen presented a continuous loop of all time-lapse compositions from the project.
In addition to the main works on display, I wanted to create a visual overview of the project, something that would invite viewers to identify their favorite buildings in Downtown Los Angeles and, ideally, inspire them to explore the area and appreciate its architecture firsthand.
The result was a site-specific installation: a 20 x 5 grid of photographs representing the buildings documented by the project to date. Each image features an overlaid DTLA map grid with a red dot marking the building’s location. Some include a small legend with the building’s name, address, GPS coordinates, architect, and year of construction. A number in the upper left corner corresponds to its location on a larger DTLA reference map.
The 94 photographs selected for the piece were laser printed on acid-free letter-sized cardstock, each uniquely designed and rubber stamped with a custom logo.
Below is a time-lapse video of the installation process, along with a short clip of the hand-stamping work. Special thanks to my brother Tomás, whose endless patience helped bring this piece to life.
After the forced shut down of the exhibit due to COVID-19 I took the opportunity of having the space all by myself. I noticed that the morning light coming through the big industrial windows created beautiful light patterns across some of the space walls. So every morning of the following weeks I went to the gallery to shoot each individual piece as the sun casted it’s magic on them. Afterwards, Noah created some gorgeous soundscapes for the time lapses. Below are the results.