Photo Credits: Elise Coates, Squonk.org
Commissioned by ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI. Created in 2023.
BROUHAHA
Interactive Performances by Squonk
Brouhaha is an immersive outdoor spectacle bursting with rollicking music, dazzling imagery, and the thrill of audience participation. At the center of this riotous romp is the Squonkcordion, an enormous musical instrument powered by behemoth bellows topped with towering tuba bells. At the peak of the performance, Squonk invites the audience to play this foghorn organ, welcoming them to experience the joy of a brass band and the fireworks of community. They don't have to be musicians, but by the end of the show, we will all embrace the joy of making sounds—and the risk and camaraderie that entails.
Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Squonk creates boisterous outdoor spectacles fusing fantastic visual design, playful staging, and high-energy original music. Their fall tour is bringing Brouhaha around the country and to Canada!
El Paso Icons:
A Cityscape in Play
Art Installation of 3D toys
“El Paso Icons: A Cityscape in Play" is a vibrant celebration of our beloved city. As lifelong El Pasoans, art duo Ghost Fox Toys (Michelle Delgado and Gino Ybarra) have infused their love for this urban desert landscape into playful, whimsical, renditions of iconic local imagery. These icons include: downtown pigeons, the historic streetcar, and the Franklin Mountain range, or as they coined back in 2017, “Frankie Mountain”.
During Chalk the Block, these beloved characters will be showcased as giant ground inflatables, inviting families to experience them at an exciting scale. We can’t wait for festival-goers to engage with these larger-than-life icons, capturing unforgettable moments and sparking conversations about the unique charm of our downtown community.
Michelle Delgado and Gino Ybarra are full time artists who have been collaborating with the local El Paso art community for many years. As full time artists they specialize in various forms of designer toys. For years they shared their art toys online and at different galleries throughout the country, and now they are bringing their experience and love of designer toys, gallery shows, and art education to downtown El Paso. You can find their newly opened brick and mortar space “Ghost Fox Toy Store and Gallery,” located at 222 Texas Ave Suite E.
Photo Credits: Ghost Fox Toys
Photo Credits: Render by: @caliche.edstudio, courtesy of Serjik Leon.
RACK OF LIGHTS
Structural Art Installation by Serjirism
Formed by using pallet racking in a non-conventional way, “Rack of Lights” is a two tunnel structure where visitors who enter will have amazing visuals in 360 degrees. Lights will interact with sound so every sound made inside will have a direct effect on the lighting of the entire structure. Once visitors enter into a tunnel, they will be able to talk and interact with people in the other tunnel, making it fun to connect with others who are immersed in the installation as well. The shell of the structure will be a transparent plastic, so the tunnels will have their own sound environment to make you feel you are in a whole different space. From afar and close up, this art installation will give an aesthetic, colorful and imposing presence that captivates and mesmerizes viewers, inviting them into a world where imagination and reality connects in harmony.
This large scale art installation is inspired by Pallet Racking, using industrial elements to create an immersive structure filled with life. “Rack of Lights” is created by Serjirism Industrial Art founder Serjik Leon, an emerging artist who harnesses industrial materials as his creative medium. Leon draws inspiration from the manufacturing richness of the El Paso/Juarez region to pioneer a distinctive form of artistic expression. Fueled by his innovative vision, he founded “Serjirism,” an exciting art movement dedicated to repurposing individual materials to craft captivating works of art, thus reshaping the boundaries of contemporary art and sustainability.
Trash to Treasure
ESD Bins Painted by Local Artists
Every part of the region's largest public arts festival should be fun--including the way we keep the Downtown Arts District clean! Throughout the Chalk the Block festival footprint, attendees will find colorful, artist-decorated waste bins. The installation is inspired by Global Inheritance's TRASHed Art of Recycling, a long-running program to bring attention to recycling and encourage eco-friendly practices at events like Coachella.
Chalk the Block 17's wastebins will be painted by local artists. The project is a collaboration between MCAD and the City of El Paso's Environmental Services Department (ESD), which is committed to providing a clean, safe, healthy, and beautiful environment for all El Paso residents to enjoy. Among many other services, ESD provides garbage and curbside recycling collections and landfill operations. The bins will encourage festivalgoers to clean up responsibly while providing an artistic reminder of environmental impact.
