SaFARi, which happened over the weekend of September 13-14, 1997, was the third FAR BAZZAR--a large scale art event involving hundreds of L.A. based artists staged at a non-traditional space. The previous FAR BAZZARs were produced in large interior spaces in the downtown L.A. area, including a warehouse and an un-used bank building. For the third version of the event, the Board decided to experiment with its format. Instead of following the old model, we wanted to create an outdoor event at a location outside of downtown.
The Old Zoo picnic area in Griffith Park is the former site of the L.A. Zoo. It was chosen because of its unique set-up of cages and habitats, which many participating artists used as spaces for their installations and performances. The natural terrain of the park also provided a wide variety of settings for other artists: ranging from an open-air stage for performance artists and local bands to trees, rocks, grassy areas, and dried stream beds where many site-specific works were located. The also addressed the site in different ways, including formalist exploration of the cages, references to the animals that inhabited the cages, and a performance based on the life of Colonel Griffith--the namesake of the park. The event was attended by several thousand people, as Griffith Park is a popular weekend recreational spot, many also came from Silver Lake, a nearby artist neighborhood, as well as from all over L.A.
