Disco ball hangs on crane: Silver Lake nightmare inspires local artist to create hard-hat art

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photo copy 3Artist Bettina Hubby woke up a year or so ago to an urban nightmare: That thumping sound of construction, right across the street from her house.

She lives and works on a well-trafficked thoroughfare in Silver Lake called Rowena Avenue, which has been dug up for what seems like forever in the name of upgrading the pipes.

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A most unusual art gallery (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

At first she stewed, but then she got inspired. She started shooting–with her camera–photographs of the workers. It was her way to make a positive out of the negative. To meet the source of the noise. To see the face of the noise. To embrace the noise by making pictures of it.

Silver Lake artist Bettina Hubby.
Silver Lake artist Bettina Hubby. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

This Saturday, she’ll host a little party on Rowena, turning the construction area into an art gallery for a few hours. The construction workers are invited, as are their families. So are the neighbors, including local businesses who have suffered from the blocked road. And a disco ball will adorn a crane, among other festive touches, to celebrate the neighborhood improvements.

Here’s what Bettina had to say: