When I was filming my mini-doc about the 818 Session, I shot footage of the Ralphs parking lot in North Hollywood during the day. I never thought that this would be an interesting juxtaposition of images (day versus night) until Matthew Lahey at the Annenberg Lab commented to me how fascinating it was to him when places (often public) are used for unconventional purposes — and not too many people know about it. Like krump dancing in a parking lot at midnight. Below is footage of what the lot looks like during an average day, the people that frequent the stores and the businesses when they’re open. This also better illustates how these dancers are reimagining public space designated for shopping — transforming space used for commerce into a temporary home for creative movement and expression.
Special location filming thanks to Josephine Basch
The 818 Session 