Victoria Linchong aka Viva Lamore presents A WALK AROUND THE BLOCK, starting on January 25, 2021 to mark the tenth anniversary of her eviction from her East Village home.
A WALK AROUND THE BLOCK is a web series about the Lower East Side / East Village by Victoria Linchong, who was born in the neighborhood. It’s a simple idea: Victoria takes a longtime East Village resident on a walk around their block. A hundred years of history are revealed as they say hello to shopkeepers, reminisce about long gone stores, check out the street art, poke through community gardens, and gaze at the architectural curiosities of this unique neighborhood.
The series is FREE!
But if you want to donate a small sum, we won't say no: paypal.me/EggMoon
Or to support Viva's huge grand schemes for this project, email [email protected]
January 25 : BACK ON THE BLOCK – 11th STREET BETWEEN B & C
In 2009, Victoria first took a walk around her block and documented her connection with the shops, the school, and the many community gardens. Three years after she was evicted, she is back on the block, surveying the changes that have occurred and saying hello to old friends who have remained. Special double episode, combining the original walk around the block in 2009 with a walk around the same block in 2014.
February 22 : HOLY CANNOLI – 10th STREET BETWEEN 1ST & A
Victoria and photographer Richard Sandler walk around his formerly Italian block, finding not only the world’s largest cannoli, but also traces of Jerry Rubins, Basquiat and the Beastie Boys.
March 29 : LA LUCHA CONTINUA – 8TH STREET BETWEEN B & C
Victoria goes for a walk with actress/director Elizabeth Ruf and the late filmmaker Roland Legiardi-Laura on their block, which seems to be the immigrant epicenter of the old Lower East Side, with vestiges of former Irish, German and Jewish enclaves where Puerto Rican pride now runs strong.
April 26 : TWO OLD FUGS – 10TH STREET BETWEEN B & C
Victoria and housing activist Frank Morales reminisce about Diggers, dealers, dissidents, DAMP and the Avenue D Boys on a walk around his block.
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
The web series was originally a short documentary commissioned in 2009 by The Work Office, an art project that called for artists to re-create work inspired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the 1930s. One of the prompts was "Make a regional travel guide of your block" so Viva made a short documentary of simply walking around her block. In the summer of 2014, she realized that she could expand on the initial idea and take a walk around the block with friends who had lived on their blocks for more than 10 years. She shot five episodes and then circumstances led her to leaving New York City. She ended up stranded in Europe and was forced to abandon the project to focus on getting back on her feet. Flash forward to 2020 during the pandemic. Like everyone else, with so much time on her hands. Viva started to look at projects that she had never completed. And then she realized that it would be ten years since she was evicted from her apartment, which ultimately led to her having to leave to New York.
