Munjeli Fotobox

Marina Del Rey Sunset

Ele Munjeli — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:48:12 +0000

When I first moved to L.A. almost three years ago, I ended up near Downtown. I lived just a couple blocks north of the Staples Center, kind of Pico-Union area. The food was great; roach coaches with burritos as big as your head for four dollars, served with shaved radishes, cucumbers soaked in chile and lemon, and red or green chile (both hot as hell). Once I went for a bacon-wrapped hot dog in the Fashion district and it even had pickled beets. The Central Americans always made it seem homey. But in November, I went down to San Diego to visit my sister while she was there on a convention, and something in me just looked at the ocean, and snapped. All the years I spent in Hawaii just fell on me like a ton of bricks as I watched the weather on the water. I decided to move to the west side, the sooner, the better. Here I am. I still work Downtown, but at the end of the day I get on my bike and slide out Venice Boulevard toward the sunset. The air is cleaner, and I go to the seaside several times a week, just to do my grocery shopping or go for a ride. I feel better now.

Under Construction..

Ele Munjeli — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:11:14 +0000

I’m porting my photoblog to Wordpress. The New Improved Munjeli Fotobox will be up in a couple weeks. I’ve been on something of a hiatus from photography; the new site will be more eclectic. I would like to take more photos on the go, and expand my theme from architecture to people and art photography. If you’re interested in the old iWeb sight I’m no longer hosting with MobileMe, but you can find it here.

Zanja Madre

Ele Munjeli — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:41:47 +0000

To my eye, this sculpture is dated. Yet most of the others must be, too, it’s just that they’re old enough so as not to seem cheesy. The immediate memory of 1992 is provoked by all this neo Southwesternism, the pastels, the cow skull, the geometric designs combined with bland abstract forms. Maybe in twenty years or so I’ll love this like Deco, but for the moment, I just think of hair bands on MTV.

Broadway Bridge

Ele Munjeli — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:45:54 +0000

I did a ride after the Los Angeles Bike Summit on March 7 and the route, led by Joe Linton, travelled four bridges in downtown LA. The Broadway bridge, which I use most often to go to Pasadena, wasn’t one of them. Still, I included it in a series I’m working on of bridges downtown. As usual, I’m torn about doing more historical research on the building of the bridges or just feeling like I’ve done enough with a photo. I’ve seen enough buildings torn down to know to shoot the old ones.

The Los Angeles Theater

Ele Munjeli — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:51:40 +0000

The photo I took of the Orpheum a few weeks ago was one of my favorites. I spent three years as a projectionist in a unrenovated deco movie theater on Hawai’i, operating eighty year old projectors in an asbestos lined box. At least it was still a movie theater. So many of these beauties on Broadway have succumbed to economic reality; hosting boticas, evangelicos, and discount clothing stalls, if they’re not closed altogether. There is a movement underway to recover and restore some of the buildings, and as the population of downtown grows, the theaters will probably benefit.

Santa Monica Vermont

Ele Munjeli — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:00:23 +0000

This Metro station is one of my favorites: a text adorns the cement like a whisper as you ride down the long escalator toward the trains. Above, there’s a glass and metal elevator, and a plaza paved with glass blocks. I went to meet some cyclists there for a ride, and the trees on the plaza were in bloom. I try to avoid this kind of thing, sentimental photos of flowers, but surrounded by urban modernism, the blooms were even lovelier.

City Hall, Two Ways

Ele Munjeli — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:08:23 +0000

City Hall ends up in my photos by accident. The skyline is relatively low on that side of downtown, and it is the most prominent feature. But after the Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting a couple weeks ago, I’ve been regarding it more seriously. I wonder if legislation will help the cause of bicycle advocacy. The mayor of Chicago recently proposed an ordinance to protect cyclists by fining drivers up to five hundred dollars for harassment on the road. I want it in my town. City Hall….hmmm…wheres the door?

Sculpture Special

Ele Munjeli — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:16:04 +0000

Today I’m posting images of a couple of sculptures discovered in downtown LA. Its easy to overlook public sculpture: generally, its abstract, and that helps diffuse criticism. Nonetheless, I’m pleasantly surprised when I look up the names and artists associated with a piece and find the work is more insightful than I realized. I suspect much public sculpture is that way, you have to dig a little to get it.

Wilshire Vermont

Ele Munjeli — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:23:24 +0000

One of the more eccentric stations on the Red Line is Wilshire Vermont. Or is it Vermont Wilshire? Is this the Purple line? The candy colored sculptures in the atrium are an enigmatic circus. The color scheme extends outside. There are two platforms, long escalators, and when you finally come out, its not clear where you are. What do those glyphs on the walls mean? Actually, I really like it.