At the apex of San Pedro, Angels Gate Cultural Center is a rejuvenating space on its most ordinary day, an arts campus with commanding ocean and cityscape views. But for one night each summer, something extra special is created on this seven-acre plateau.
If you’re already aware of soundpedro but have never checked it out, why not? Why would you ignore such a miracle of concentrated aesthetic presence, simultaneously family-friendly and cerebral…free of charge? Including parking? Come on.
But whether you’ve knowingly missed the previous six iterations of soundpedro or this is your first time hearing about it, now’s the time to get in the know, because for three hours on June 7 Angels Gate will make its annual transformation into a giant indoor/outdoor gallery of nearly 60 multisensory sound-centric art installations, stationary and roving performances, and the openings of two separate multimedia gallery shows.
Interest in soundpedro has steadily increased over the years, to the point that these days there simply isn’t room for all the artists who would like to participate. According to FLOOD’s Marco Schindelmann, soundpedro’s main producer, “The hard part [of curating the event] is asking those artists who have participated previously to sit out for a couple of years so as to make room for new people.”
One of this year’s newcomers is Stanley J. Zappa, whose “Free your Jazz, Free your Vision” will “explor[e] the liminal space & overlap zone between Free Jazz and Sound Art” by combining his saxophone performance with large-scale video projections by Stephen Linsley that will take up an entire wall of a building that was not activated at soundpedro2024.
Another newbie is Kim Kei, whose contributions to the gallery show ch’SONIC explore “time and sound from a biological perspective” by playing off the idea of “pulsing vascular systems — dendritic forms found in root systems and river tributaries and our lungs, breath and respiration cycles, interconnection [and] interspecies communication, intertidal time and tempo,” forming “a system of surrogate forms I hope speaks to cilia and our evolutionary history. […] For example, I use sculpture to evoke empathy for nature’s resilience and our connection to Earth’s systems, and I am exploring the touch-calling and echoic qualities of texture to invite the public into tactile interactivity.”
Having trouble envisioning exactly what that means? Me, too. But by its very nature soundpedro presents you with phenomena that defy description and are unlike anything you’ve seen/heard before.
For another example, Rychard Cooper — a veteran of all six previous soundpedro events at Angels Gate — returns with the gallery show Artificial Synesthesia, where he employs synthesizer, optical illusions, ultraviolet light, and holographic paper to manipulate sight and sound, creating textures and timbres that do not exist in the real world as a means to exploring the limits of perception.
Say what? Hey, the only way to really know is to go.
Because artists are often influenced by the social climate in which they create, it may be interesting to see whether/how Trump 2.0 and the fascism he’s wrought informs any of the installations in what on the surface is an apolitical happening. soundpedro2025’s theme certainly opens the door for such contributions: Chthonic: relating to the Underworld, a realm ruled by enigmas and psychopomps, a place of forgotten or yet to be remembered potential. Don’t mistake it for mere subterranean; chthonic implies both profound existential dread and hope.
“In keeping with soundpedro being a macro-installation composed of micro-moments and experiences, this structure inherently resists monolithic narratives or overly prescriptive themes — including overt political messaging — by prioritizing multiplicity and individual expression,” Schindelmann says. “However, the event positions itself as a brave place holding multiple and diverse safe spaces, which means it intentionally fosters an environment where artists and audiences can engage with challenging ideas in nuanced ways. This ethos may encourage some artists to address political issues, including reactions to the current administration, but it does not require or predict a unified political response. In keeping with its experimental and open-ended nature, soundpedro provides a platform where a spectrum of political responses can emerge. Artists retain the freedom to respond, with civility and respect, so that audiences can engage with a plurality of voices and from various, and possibly opposing, stances.”
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As you read these words, a documentary is in the works about SoundWalk, the annual transformation of Long Beach’s East Village Arts District that was soundpedro’s direct ancestor. Considering that SoundWalk lasted 10 years, the fact that this is Year 7 for soundpedro at Angels Gate, one might begin to wonder about soundpedro’s own legacy.
But not in the moment. If soundpedro is anything, it’s an ideal opportunity to be fully immersed in the hear/now. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.
WHAT / WHEN:
- soundpedro, an evening of ear-oriented multisensory presentations: Saturday, June 7, 7pm–10pm.
- ch’SONIC & Artificial Synesthesia, two separate gallery shows, open June 7 and can be experienced through July 5 Thursday through Saturday 10am–5pm.
WHERE: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro 90731; angelsgateart.org
ADMISSION: free! (includes parking)
MORE INFO: soundpedro.art