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South Pasadena is home to an array of houses that tell unique stories. Not often, however, do the residents of such houses dig deep to find and develop the narratives that live within their homes.
But for Julia Tcharfas and Tim Ivison, the tale of CalTrans and their building was a story too poignant to be left untold. As owners of an archival project which centers around cultural narratives, the duo began conducting research into the 710 project and South Pasadena’s iconic fight against the freeway. After setting out to develop an exhibit, the two spent months learning history from freeway fighters and different resources that they fell upon.
After collecting a multitude of physical artifacts, the fruit of their labor is now on display in the South Pasadenan building on Mission St. Sprawled across the walls, maps of the project and different proposals tell the story of freeways in Los Angeles and the 710 project as an idea.
“We wanted to see if we could find a visual history of the 710 resistance,” said Tcharfas “to tell the story of the 710 through documentation, more like a museum or artist would.”
With a few other 710 projects in the works, the exhibit presents more context and history rather than a pure retelling of the fight.
“The project became more conceptual when we became interested in the way the 710 conflict fit into the larger story of the freeways in Los Angeles.” said Ivison.
The holistic approach to telling the story is shown largely through the juxtaposition of items from the pro-710 movement and items from the 710 fighters, as well as relics from before the freeway fight began.
The 710 entry is the third chapter within Tcharfas and Ivison’s “Before Present” project, a series of shows in which ivison use artifacts and exhibition to cover different culturally driven narratives. The two will have their project up in the South Pasadenan building until August 15, with the display being open on Monday – Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Saturday appointments can also be made by reservation.
