Los Angeles Dances of Water and Power
On January 16, 1968, at 10:00 PM PST, LADWP workers breached the Los Angeles River,
inadvertently unearthing an unknown lifeform from a fissure in the concrete.
The creature’s body is an amalgamation of mutated forms: part human, part crustacean, and part trash. Its scaly skin is a sickly shade of iridescent gray, adorned with a hard plastic exoskeleton, protruding wires, and twisted appendages.
This shocking hybridization is the result of countless lifeforms and pollutants trapped within the concrete hex. The intermingling toxic cocktail of petrochemicals and wastewater ferment beneath the channel, creating an unprecedented genetic potential for birthing a new abomination into existence.
The creature has continuously evaded detainment and grown to monstrous proportions, tearing through the urban landscape, disturbing commercial space, and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Some have crudely categorized the figure as a demon from another world. Others see the creature as a poignant metaphor highlighting the ramifications of humanity's reckless treatment of the environment. Regardless, the creature has forged a unique reputation in Los Angeles.
The creature’s body is an amalgamation of mutated forms: part human, part crustacean, and part trash. Its scaly skin is a sickly shade of iridescent gray, adorned with a hard plastic exoskeleton, protruding wires, and twisted appendages.
This shocking hybridization is the result of countless lifeforms and pollutants trapped within the concrete hex. The intermingling toxic cocktail of petrochemicals and wastewater ferment beneath the channel, creating an unprecedented genetic potential for birthing a new abomination into existence.
The creature has continuously evaded detainment and grown to monstrous proportions, tearing through the urban landscape, disturbing commercial space, and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Some have crudely categorized the figure as a demon from another world. Others see the creature as a poignant metaphor highlighting the ramifications of humanity's reckless treatment of the environment. Regardless, the creature has forged a unique reputation in Los Angeles.
According to the Book of Exodus, the Tabernacle is a trapezoidal structure built as a physical dwelling for God on Earth.
God will typically inhabit this structure for approximately 400 years, for example, from the time of the Exodus to the time of King Solomon.
The logo of the Toyoda G1 (the first truck built by the company that became Toyota) features a Shachihoko, a sea monster in Japanese folklore with the head of a dragon or tiger lion and the body of a carp covered entirely in black or grey scales. According to the tale, Shachihoko lives in the cold northern ocean. Its broad fins and tail always point up toward heaven, and its dorsal fins have numerous sharp spikes. It can swallow a massive amount of water and hold it in its belly, as well as summon clouds and control the rain. Although believed to come from the sea, they are often constructed high on the roof standing upside down.
photos by Tina Sapszian
