comments by the author) to the enthralled photographers.
Garcetti described his call to the Ironworkers Union when he
asked, "Who is documenting the work on the new concert hall?" It
turned out that no one was doing it, and their question to him was,
"How much would you charge to do it?" He didn't want pay; all he
wanted was access to the site and permission to talk with the workers
as the construction advanced. He would take the pictures and give
them copies. It was that simple. They had a deal that made them both
happy.
Fourteen thousand pieces of iron, and no two are identical! The
resultant black-and-white pictures are startling and awe-inspiring,
but the experiences over the months of work and the respect that the
photographer developed for the construction workers was monumental.
Although Garcetti didn't start out to write a book, the people he met
and liked among the men and woman (yes, there was one female
ironworker on the job) scaling the framework urged him to do so. They
are justifiably proud of what they do, and would like their families
and friends and everyone else in the world to see them on the job.
As one man said, "Once this stuff is covered, no one will ever see
the iron again or think of the people who put it up: the ironworkers.
Frank Gehry will get all the credit for the job. No one will remember
us."
And that is how "Iron: Erecting the Walt Disney Concert Hall" (now
in its third printing) came into being. Since then, Garcetti has
published a beautiful book on the finished building, aptly titled
"Frozen Music" -- a true collector's item.
Sooner or later, you will all go downtown to see the Walt Disney
Concert Hall "in the flesh," and you will be excited and impressed.
There's no escaping it. But if you would like to see how this
impressive building came to be, find a copy of "Iron: Erecting the
Walt Disney Concert Hall." Proceeds from the sales go to the
Ironworkers Scholarship Fund.
* JERRY LANE is a resident of La Crescenta and a regular
contributor to Community Forum. He can be reached at
jerry5733@aol.com..
