wish-processing center with fluffy piles of dandelions takes over industrial site in LA

in a working industrial site southeast of downtown los angeles, the anonymous, LA-based group the art department has created a surreal wish-processing center. the ephemeral installation, which took place last weekend, 11-12 may, and worked at full capacity, incorporated large piles of dandelions, as the flower has long been associated with the granting of wishes when one blows their seeds into the air.

image by michael juliano, via time out los angeles

the art department operates by creating free, participatory installations in unexpected urban sites, such as the working industrial site at bell gardens, los angeles. at the pop up wish-processing center, visitors were invited to submit their wishes for sorting and processing, qualifying them as either ‘slam dunks’ or ‘long shots’. afterwards, each visitor was given a dandelion to blow their wish down one of the categorized chutes, adding to the voluminous piles of fluff.

image via the art department

the mesmerizing installation was actually carried out through a bureaucratic procedure titled the division of small things that float on the wind, where visitors had to follow a series of steps related to their wish. these included a help desk assistant, an old school computer, and a ticket stamping desk, bringing to mind artist tom sachs’ swiss passport office, which also dealt in part with the frustrations of bureaucracy in a playful way.

image by jori finkel, via the art newspaper

image via the art department

image via the art department

image by michèle m. waite, courtesy the art department, via LA weekly

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Art Department (@upcomingla) on May 11, 2019 at 11:08am PDT

project info:

name: dandelions

artist: the art department

location: 6700 garfield ave., bell gardens, los angeles, USA