Sekula's Unfinished Project Documents Gehry's Disney Hall and LA's Urban Transformation

Allan Sekula spent nearly 30 years working on 'Facing the Music,' a comprehensive exploration of Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, which opened its doors in 2003. The hall, supported by the Disney family, was intended to inspire civic revitalization in Bunker Hill, akin to Gehry's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Originally conceived as a catalog for a 2005 exhibition at CalArts's REDCAT Gallery, the book's release was postponed for ten years. The exhibition featured works from photographers James Baker, Anthony Hernandez, Karin Apollonia Müller, and filmmaker Billy Woodberry, highlighting the construction's effects on local communities. Released in April 2015 by ArtReview, the book includes Sekula's lecture and a reproduction of Louis Adamic's 1930 essay, showcasing his dedication to economic systems and urban studies until his passing in 2013.