Field Set - Altadena

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Field Set, presented by the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND)
A collaboration with Kelly Akashi, documenting the sounds of demolition and nearby rebuilding in the wake of the devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena, CA. This two-day public event featured the work of Kelly Akashi, Phil Peters, Celia Hollander, Paul McCarthy, Alex Stevens, and John Wiese

“The Place I Feel I Belong Isn’t Really There Anymore” by Tiffany Hearsey
The Progressive Magazine, July 9, 2026

Review of Field Set by Sampson Ohringer
Artillery Magazine, June 3, 2026

“Kelly Akashi and friends celebrate Altadena's resilience after Los Angeles wildfires” by Scarlet Cheng
The Art Newspaper, May 26, 2026

“A burned Altadena lot becomes an art exhibit, sourced from remnants and sounds of Eaton fire” By Mandy Rodriguez
Pasadena Star-News, May 25, 2026

“An Eaton Fire survivor turned remains of her home into art. How to check it out this weekend” LAist - NPR’s All Things Considered, May 20, 2026

Using subterranean microphones, Peters has been continuously recording Akashi’s property since May 2025, capturing the sounds of demolition and nearby rebuilding in the wake of the devastating Eaton Fire. Presented here for the first time as a three-hour durational soundscape, these field recordings focus on the debris removal and excavation that took place where you are standing. Played through large-scale subwoofers constructed by Peters, the work unfolds across the ground and through low-frequency sound, using the site as a physical surface and a field of resonance.

Following the soundscape, each day concluded with a music performance by artists with ties to the neighborhood: Celia Hollander on Saturday, May 23 and Paul McCarthy, Alex Stevens, and John Wiese on Sunday, May 24.

Visitors were invited to wander through the lot to experience a community garden and new sculptural interventions by Akashi, using materials such as tree branches, glass, bricks, and tiles sourced primarily from her property following the fire. Among the works was Witness (Altadena), the artist’s still-standing chimney from her original home, now presented as a sculpture. Taken together, Field Set demonstrates how artists, organizations, and communities can transform individual fragments into a resilient whole through collaboration.