![]() ![]() Titled The Road to Hollywood, the artwork consists of a marble mosaic snaking across the grounds of the mall with stories of various actors’ paths to stardom that terminates at a fiberglass sculpture of what appears to be a casting couch, the now-infamous symbol of sexual abuse within the film industry. Following their removal will be the faux Mesopotamian archway, which will be replaced by a simplified facade that nods to the upward-facing skylights that accompany many a Hollywood premiere.Īlong with the problematic pachyderms and every other allusion to a false Babylon, a large installation by artist Erika Rothenberg will be removed from the mall’s balcony overlooking Highland Avenue for its own troublesome associations. During this tough time for the world at large, we want to create a place of recognition, celebration and coming together in search of what it means to experience one of the most iconic places in the world.” The large fiberglass elephants adorning Hollywood & Highland are the signature elements of a film history that the mall’s new developers are hoping to leave behind (Athena Sobhan)Īmong the first steps of the transformation was to remove the enormous fiberglass elephants starting late last week, which are currently being dismantled at a slow enough pace to allow the mall to remain open to visitors, and work is therefore expected to take several days. “At Ovation Hollywood we applaud the creators, doers, teachers, doctors, entertainers and small business owners that make this community sing. “An ovation is a sign of appreciation for someone’s work, talent, or effort,” Chief Retail Officer at DJMParton Stenn Parton explained last August. For its developers, the title signifies Los Angeles’ contribution to the world within and beyond its venerated film industry. Following the $100 million makeover, the mall will also receive a new name: Ovation Hollywood. Gaw Capital USA, a Hong Kong and Los Angeles-based real estate private equity firm, and DJM, a San Jose and Los Angeles-based private equity real estate developer, purchased the mall for $325 million from Los Angeles developer CIM Group in 2019 to update its image, with the assistance of international architecture firm Gensler. The redesign, Ovation Hollywood, carries a far more streamlined design than its predecessor (Courtesy Gaw Capital USA/DJM ) Its connection to the film industry was made doubly secure by the fact that the Academy Awards have been held annually within the on-site Dolby Theatre since the mall’s completion in 2001. Griffith’s openly racist views have soured the design of the Hollywood mall among critics, who have argued that the Hollywood & Highland appears to be an unabashed celebration of the director’s legacy. ![]() Griffith as an addendum to his release of The Birth of a Nation the year prior, a blockbuster that has been roundly condemned for its empowerment of the Ku Klux Klan during the early 20th century. That design was a near recreation of the iconic film set of Intolerance, a silent film often said to have helped cement Hollywood as the global movie capital.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |