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Last year, the graffiti-encrusted remains of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza skyscraper haunted the Los Angeles skyline, becoming a beacon of devastation and, for some, an artistic expression.
On Halloween, the square appeared to just stand up and walk away, thanks to Hollywood set designer Xavier Mozejewski, who designed a wearable costume that looked exactly like one of the square’s three buildings.
Xavier Mosejewski in a multi-story Halloween costume.
(Courtesy of Xavier Mozejewski)
“Three days before Halloween, I was working in Chinatown, driving down Route 110, and I saw that building and thought, ‘This is it,'” Mosejewski said of coming up with the costume. . “It’s been all over the internet for months. I think everyone in L.A. can recognize it. Oddly enough, it’s very niche, but it’s also recognizable. It has some connection to that.”
Mosejewski’s costume represented the latest chapter in the colorful history of the abandoned square, seen by many as a symbol of the city’s neglect and stubborn crime problem. In October, a bankruptcy judge granted an extension to the sale of the 40- to 53-story tower. The sales start date is currently undecided.
Art department employees used recycled materials salvaged from the job to create a perfect 6-foot-tall replica of one of the bankrupt towers being developed at a cost of more than $1 billion. The abandoned building gained notoriety this year after artists broke in and tagged the skyscraper from top to bottom, with some daredevils jumping from the tower.
“Originally, I was trying to scale it as much as possible and get all the dimensions perfectly accurate. For the doodles, I was looking at the photos hoping to get it all done before the sun set on Halloween.” “It was a race against time to take pictures while the sun was out,” Mozejewski said.
While the outfit went viral on TikTok and Instagram, Mosejewski said he received some backlash from some graffiti artists who called his copycat attempt a “toy” (meaning like a beginner).
“I appreciate the criticism. People who do something creative deserve to have it protected. It wasn’t a museum or anything,” he said.
Mozejewski donned the costume and went out to Santa Monica, where excited trick-or-treaters gasped at his artistry. He gave them pens and allowed them to add their own mini-doodles to their outfits.
He said having people touch and sign the costumes was what made it special.
“That’s what elevated this whole experience. It took on a new performative and theatrical dimension in a way that I hadn’t even thought of. It was surprising to me,” he said. Ta.
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