Phantom Sweeps Again in Jab at Studio City Art

Studio City’s phantom vacuum-cleaner artist swept into town again Friday.

The anonymous sculptor who fashions fanciful collages from old vacuum cleaner parts placed a carpet sweeper “family” on a grassy traffic island in the middle of a three-way intersection on Ventura Boulevard.

The colorful sculpture is the latest in a series of slaps that the mysterious artist has taken at a Studio City group that plans to spend $42,000 to install a large gold-lettered “Studio City” sign and landscape its site.

His earlier protests occurred when sculptures were placed in August and December at the intersection of Ventura Boulevard, Radford Avenue and Ventura Place.

The newest display depicts a mother, father and children gathered around a television showing a get-rich-quick commercial. Vacuum cleaner hoses, nozzles and upright sweepers form the basis of the figures. A small sign titles the artwork “Ultimate Stimulation.”

A larger, hand-painted sign nailed to traffic island palm trees states: “Welcome to Studio City, the city that supports the arts.”

David Sachs, who works in a nearby office, said he knows the identify of the artist. Sachs described him as a 20-year-old who lives and works in the area--but who doesn’t want Los Angeles officials to know his name.

“He saw the city out here measuring the other day for its glorious ‘Studio City’ sign, and he said, ‘Oh, oh, I’ve got a deadline.’ I think a lot of people are like him and don’t want to see a gold ‘Studio City’ sign go in,” said Sachs, a film production manager.

Other passers-by had mixed feelings about the work, however.

“It’s wonderful to see something creative in a city where creativity ought to be king,” said Cynthia Stillwell, a film production worker.

“I’d rather see gold letters here,” countered Rufino Sanchez, a vocational counselor. “This looks like someone lost part of their load on their way to the dump.”

Los Angeles officials said late Friday that the mystery artist lacks permission to erect his work at the intersection. Permits are needed from the Bureau of Public Works, the Bureau of Street Maintenance, the Department of Transportation and the Board of Municipal Art Commissioners.

The Studio City Beautification Assn. is in the process of completing the paper work for its long-planned gold-lettered sign, said Irwin Stanton, president of the group.

“We’ve raised $36,000 and, as soon as the city finishes its estimates for the work, we’ll turn over our money, and they’ll put it out for bids,” Stanton said Friday. He said gold letters for the two-sided sign will cost $200 apiece.

Stanton indicated that the vacuum cleaner artist will soon have to suck in his pride and accept the inevitable. “We’re going to be ready to go on our project in another month or so.”