24 Hour Project
PRAXIS
2017
On Saturday, April 1, 2017, I participated in a worldwide photo event called the 24 Hour Project for the fourth year. People from around the world took photographs of their city, uploading one photo in real time, every hour for the entire day. I’ve been thinking about the nature of personal history and memory, the effects of gentrification and the sublime within the banal, all as I’ve been observing the ways my childhood neighborhood has changed, how “outsiders” relate to it then and now and the castoff things and marginalized people visible on the streets. I decided that this for the 24 Hour Project this year, I would make it a KTown Is My Town edition, with some built-in experiences that others could join in on.
00:10 | Dan Sung Sa
My 24 Hour Project actually started on Friday night with a kick-off meal. I wanted to be on the street and among the people as much as possible so I took Uber to the first location, where Dolores and Charles joined me. (I have never seen anyone enjoy chicken feet as much as Dolores.)
I was on foot in Koreatown for the next 24 hours.
02:03 | 6th & Normandie Ave
This time of night is when the streets are the most bustling, the time when everyone is coming out of the bars and clubs. There is still excitement and anticipation in the air, even if it’s the anticipation of a hot dog from a street vendor.
01:45 | 7-Eleven on 6th St
I watched this man open doors for 7-Eleven shoppers for a while. Most of them were coming out with beer and booze. The man had opened the door for me too, when I went in to buy dental floss earlier. It’s the little things that help make a full day out on the streets a bit more comfortable. I could hear a mix of Korean, Persian, Spanish and English being spoken in the parking lot. I asked the man if anyone ever tipped him. “Sometimes. It’s nice when they do but I don’t expect it.”
03:52 | Wiltern Theater
The 10 exhausted 24 Hour Project photographers were not up for a discussion about the 1992 LA Riots so we took a breather at Denny’s. My friend John who actually did want the Riots tour had his first taste of coffee instead of a tour. I regret that his first (and last?) coffee was at Denny’s.
04:15 | Western Blvd & 7th St
05:09 | McDonald’s on Western Blvd
I wasn’t the only one seeking respite from the dark, cold streets. There wasn’t a whole lot of ordering around this time but there were quite a few people dozing off into their food trays or quietly reading the newspaper. I got the feeling many were regulars by the easy chit-chat that was going on between them and the staff.
06:11 | California Donuts
Laura grew up in the LA area and graduated high school in the late 70s. I think she’s lived here most, if not all, of her life. She said there was no family around. There were several empty paper cups next to her with the California Donuts logo on them. I asked her if she wanted a donut and a coffee. She said she wanted a cinnamon roll if there were any. I would’ve been satisfied if that was the end of our transaction but I did ask for a photo. I felt funny about it—a cinnamon roll and coffee in exchange for her image.
I asked Laura about being in the streets. She said no one bothered her and she’s lived around Koreatown for years. No friends, no family, and she was ok with that. I asked her if it was ok to ask a personal question: how did she end up in the streets? “I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I’m still trying to figure it out.”
My friends Noemi and Sandra showed up. We grabbed some coffee and donuts.
07:36 | Chapman Plaza
Sandra and I decided to walk around some more until breakfast. We saw the young woman charging up the street with just one shoe on, and then we spotted the guy near the corner, also wearing one shoe. When she caught up with him, she started yelling and slapping him. He was pretty non-reactive and looked tired. We figured the fight had been going on since the night before.
08:26 | Vermont Ave & Wilshire Blvd
I’m usually apologetic about taking people’s photos, probably because I myself dislike being photographed. Oddly, this woman’s intense stare-down made me feel totally free to openly point my camera at her. She never even blinked.
09:55 | Sun Nong Dang
Hot beef broth is so soothing after being cold and clammy through the night. No one made it to the spa afterwards but a few of us did hang out at the mall after breakfast.
10:27 | Catalina St
“$2 to take my picture,” he said.
11:46 | City Center Food Court
The food court bathrooms in the Koreatown malls are the best, FYI. You don’t have to buy anything to use them, they’re clean and there’s even an outlet for you to charge your phone. I find that a morning ritual is important, even during the 24 Hour Project. Washing my face, brushing my teeth, putting on sunscreen—it wakes me up and tells my brain that I’m ready for the day… even if my day was already 14 hours long at this point.
12:17 | Wilshire Colonnade
(I also turn my head the other way when I spot something taking a picture.)
13:15 | Western Ave & Beverly Blvd
This couple looked like they stepped out of a K-Drama.
Since no RSVPs were required, I didn’t know who, if anyone, would show up to anything. Among the group for lunch were Su and Kris, two friends I hadn’t seen in years!
14:57 | Madang Plaza
15:59 | 10th St & Wilton Pl
The 7-Eleven on the corner wasn’t there back then but this really is where I used to play as a kid.
16:52 | Hwa Sun Ji
Jess, someone I only knew on Instagram till then, showed up with her fiancé. They endured an awkward tour of the route from my childhood apartment to the elementary school I attended. I hope that the AC and snacks at the Korean teahouse afterwards made up for it.
17:55 | 7th St & Western Ave
He was laughing hysterically to himself. When he saw me approaching, he started pointing and laughing at me. The laugh became practically maniacal as I lifted up my camera. His aggression was feeding my boldness and vice versa. I got a little nervous that he was going to get aggressive but he suddenly lost steam and walked away, still laughing.
18:15 | Music Plaza
I felt the way this girl looks.
19:49 | Olympic Blvd & Harvard Blvd
This was the longest stretch I’d walked without stopping for anything. It was dreadful and my hip joints and feet were in pain from the nonstop walking. I saw interesting things but had no energy to take pictures. The man in the photo and I were waiting at the light for so long that I was able to coax myself into taking a shot.
20:30 | Young King Chinese Restaurant
The Chinese restaurants in Koreatown are operated by Chinese immigrants from Korea. They speak Korean fluently and they mostly speak without an accent. The man in the photo, though, he was a few bottles of soju in so I could hear his Chinese accent.
Side note: I discovered that, no matter how hungry you are, one person cannot finish a family-style plate of sweet and sour pork alone.
21:11 | Boba Story
I watched her through the window as she drank tiny bottles of what I assume was vodka. She’d down one bottle, then smash it against the concrete with a kind of defiance before moving on to the next one. Her agitated state was unsettling but it was satisfying to watch the bottles hitting the ground, to hear the shattering of the glass.
22:22 | Man Soo BBQ
I was trying to take a picture of the old Korean lady on the other side of the street who was sitting on a big mat that she’d carefully laid out with eclectic items for sale: plastic slippers, t-shirts, tchotchkes. I purchased a $2 t-shirt with the word “swag” on it. I asked her if I could take her picture. She got very suspicious and told me she wanted to return my $2. She didn’t want anything to do with a picture. I told her I was happy with my purchase and walked away.
23:26 | Monte Carlo
This was the last shot before I called it a night. I was overwhelmed by all the friends who showed up. In total, I was awake for 30 hours and had walked 33,000 steps. As tired as I was, it moved me to express myself through the art of dance.