A two-year community storytelling initiative in Leimert Park, Los Angeles came to a close this spring with a public outdoor film screening and the debut of a mobile theater installation. Dub Platforms, a collaboration between artists, architects, and residents, centered on intergenerational filmmaking and local cultural expression in one of Los Angeles’s historic hubs of Black life.
Leimert Park in South Los Angeles started as a whites-only planned community in the 1920s, but once those restrictive covenants were struck down in 1948, the neighborhood blossomed into a hub of Black culture. By the ’60s and ’70s its jazz clubs, activism, and creative energy were legendary. Today, Leimert Park continues to be a lively center for African American arts, music, and political expression.
Building on this legacy of creativity and community empowerment, a new initiative emerged to document and celebrate Leimert Park’s cultural richness from within. Launched in 2023 by a group of Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) faculty members with a small grant, Dub Platforms aimed to create a participatory space for residents to document and share stories of Black autonomy and cultural legacy. The project takes its name from “dub,” referencing the Jamaican-born sound practice that emphasizes remix, layering, and improvisation—approaches echoed in the films produced by the five fellows, which explored themes of healing, memory, and cultural continuity.
The five fellows, ranging in age from 18 to 65, were selected to take part in a film workshop and mentorship program led by filmmakers and community members. Participants included experimental filmmakers TWEAKS, Jamil Baldwin, and Jackson Kroopf, alongside Leimert Park cultural figures such as Ben Caldwell of Kaos Network and members of Neighbors Skate Shop.
The initiative culminated on March 8, with a 90-minute screening of original short films outside Neighbors Skate Shop. To host the event, design studio Current Interests built a mobile theater featuring bleacher seating and a quilted projection screen. The structure was designed as a nomadic platform to enable future community use, adapting dry-fit materials and vivid colors to evoke what organizers described as “pageantry and joy.”
Following the screening at Neighbors Skate Shop, a public installation showcasing the full project was on view at SCI-Arc’s Kappe Library until its closing on April 20.
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