This past weekend, the David Lynch Foundation’s immersive Festival of Disruption returned to downtown Los Angeles for its fourth iteration. Curated entirely by David Lynch, the weekend once again saw the auteur filmmaker’s vision transform The Theater at the Ace Hotel by uniting hand-picked creatives from multiple disciplines for musical and artistic performances, talks, film screenings, art exhibits, meditation sessions and more, benefitting the David Lynch Foundation.
David Lynch hosted the festival’s kick-off party at the Kayne Griffin Corcoran Gallery on Friday, October 12th. Shepard Fairey handled DJ duties while party-goers enjoyed Lynch-inspired cocktails, Coppola wines and beer from Mikkeller Brewing NYC surrounded by fine art pieces from Lynch’s new exhibition entitled “I Was A Teenage Insect.”
Festival attendees were greeted with thought-provoking floor-art quotes before entering the Theatre at the Ace Hotel where a waft of lavender emanating from presenting sponsor ALEX and ANI’s ticket booth pop-up store enveloped the crowd as they made their way to the 1,600-seat theatre for two days of talks and screenings.
Each morning’s first program focused on meditation. On Saturday October 13th, Dr. Norman Rosenthal discussed meditation with Mario Orsatti and the morning of Sunday October 14th opened with the transcendent imagery and meditative score in the film Koyaanisqatsi.
Visitors flocked to cross-disciplinary discussions throughout the weekend. Following the screening of the film Wild at Heart, Barry Gifford discussed his collaborative relationship with David Lynch, moderated by John Horn of NPR’s The Frame. Grace Jones received a standing ovation as she sat down with Judith Casselberry following the screening of her documentary Bloodlight and Bami. Twin Peaks collaborators Scott Cameron, Michael Horse, Kimmy Robertson and Sabrina Sutherland discussed all things Great Northern, moderated by Jonathan Cohen. Francis Ford Coppola held a lively Q&A following the screening of his film Jack, starring the late Robin Williams.
Lynch himself took the stage in front of a packed house for a “Q&A with Coffee and Donuts,” also moderated by John Horn. Lynch answered questions about his work, the birth of ideas and the infinite ability of all human beings to transcend. Interspersed between each of these presentations were clips from David Lynch’s expansive archive of shorts, interviews and commercials.
Meanwhile, just across the street at the Bold space, SHOWTIME and Collider Games debuted the first look of Twin Peaks VR, the virtual reality game that transports players to Twin Peak’s iconic Glastonbury Grove and Red Room. Visitors were also able to capture their own one-of-a-kind photos at a digital SHOWTIME photo booth posing with cutouts of iconic David Lynch characters. At the SHOWTIME Booth, attendees purchased Twin Peaks merchandise from surprise guests Kimmy Robertson, Eamon Farren, Madeline Zima, Robert Broski, Christian Calloway, Stewart Strauss, Sabrina Sutherland and Russ Tamblyn. At the Cooper Design Space, Sigur Rós’ Jónsi and collaborators Alex Somers and Paul Corley performed the Liminal Soundbath, an emotionally powerful meditative light and sound experience that left some attendees in tears.
Presenting sponsor ALEX AND ANI showcased their limited edition CHARITY BY DESIGN collection of David Lynch-designed products at the festival, including a beautiful Fish Hook Necklace and Twin Peaks’ themed Coffee and Donut Charm Bangles; proceeds of sales from which support the David Lynch Foundation.
Each evening, fans congregated for one-of-a-kind performances. Saturday brought thrilling sets from Justin Johnson and Dylan Carlson, RuPauls’ Drag Race alum Katya and Mike Patton and DJ QBert, who reconstituted music from Lynch’s famed catalog into unique new forms.
Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA closed out the night with a performance alongside a re-score of the classic 1978 kung fu film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin from opening sequence to closing credits, syncing scenes from the movie with tracks from Wu-Tang’s legendary discography.
Sunday night featured an incredible DJ set by Saint Motel, performances from Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire and TOKiMONSTA, and a poetry reading of Dark Sparkler from author Amber Tamblyn. Bringing the weekend to a close, Mercury Rev took to the stage for their first LA performance in almost 10 years and played several tracks from their beloved 1998 album Deserters Songs, while Dover Quartet, alongside Daniel Schlosberg, played their Twin Peaks Suite.
Highlighting David Lynch’s ongoing involvement in fine art, the festival staged the U.S. premiere of his photography and Christian Louboutin’s sculptures entitled “Fetish,” first presented in 2007 at Galerie du Passage in Paris.
Proceeds from the festival benefit the David Lynch Foundation, whose mission is reducing toxic stress and trauma among at-risk populations, including victims of domestic violence, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS), and underserved urban youth, through the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation technique. The Foundation has reached more than 500,000 people since founding in 2005. For additional information on the work of the Foundation, or to subscribe for news about its programs and events, visit www.davidlynchfoundation.org
