Discotheque, Discosweat
Two cases of a sweaty facadesupervised by Mira Henry and Mathew Au
Location: Los Angeles
Date: 2021
Before Jay-Z was able to sell out concerts at L.A. Live, hip hop artists could only perform at roller disco’s. Once a week on “Soul Night” hip hop and RnB would be allowed to take over the roller disco, and this is where artists like N.W.A. and Queen Latifah got their starts. Skateland LA, along with roller disco’s around the nation, were places to escape and feel safe and free. Lost in the flurry of fashion, sound, and sweat. This is where my party begins, inspired by the bass and rhythm of Skateland LA.
The roller disco is underground below a discount store on Crenshaw. The street facade has shelves blatantly boarded up against the facade to maximize efficiency to the store. The door clearly isn’t meant to be opened, instead large signs scream “parking in rear.” The rear being the true entrance.
Discotheque, Discosweat is an exploration of the facade and how it could viscerally represent the nuances of the disco below. The story is told through the Party and the Portrait. The disco party is played out with a series of characters representing different movements and styles of the party goers. Then portrait is then the facade that announces its presence and attitude. The film depicts the pressure and intensity as both the facade and the party interact with each other. The scene begins with a clear storefront that is becomes engrossed as the roller disco burns through the night. Humidity and intensity builds like a pressure cooker and the the facades begin to leak the energy in small driplets of water. The facade operates as sweat glands, pushing out the energy of the party that cannot hoped to be contained.
As people line up, walk by, or drive by, the feeling of heat and wetness is clearly present on the street. The water pools on the sidewalk, leaking visceral energy out into the city, annoucning their declaration to dance until the sun rises. The disco dancers and the building are syncopated in rhythm and expression.
