social observation

I had the privilege of attending what I consider a rare event this weekend. A few of my friends have recently mentioned attending events or parties at the “B.G” in Wicker Park and when the opportunity became available for me, I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. The “BG” now formerly known as the “****” is an open loft in the center of Wicker Park. The area is ironically surrounded with huge gates, making accessibility only on a formal invite basis. The area appears to have been home to a possible non for profit Latino based organization, as the exterior walls in the front area are filled with iconic Latino hero’s for social movements. When entering the loft, the atmosphere is completely different than what the walls outside would portray. The “residents” of this space consist of a large group of young local artists within the Chicago area that have moved from Detroit, Michigan. At first glance they looked like the typical young, hippie like, runaway free spirited prototype of common local Chicago artists. Fitted jeans, vans, t-shirts, tattoos, piercings were all popular trends amongst this group of hipsters. The “*****”appeared to almost be somewhat of a household area for some of the individuals as there were common items found in the dusty loft such as a kitchen area with minimal supplies, shower curtain and soap in very dirty bathroom space. From where I was sitting, which was a much worn down couch, it almost looked as if some of the additional rooms may have been bedrooms of other living areas from the main residents. The area seemed somewhat clean but it was dark and almost too hard to tell. The walls were filled with large canvasses of some of the work that had been produced by one of the artists. There was also a large skating ramp in the middle of the central space that a few males used to show off some of their skate boarding tricks. This space later became the main area for dancing and consuming alcoholic beverages. After speaking with my friend about the area, it was established that the space was mainly used to host special events for many of the artists. These events include anywhere from art galleries, fundraisers, to sponsored promotional opportunities for local and small businesses within the neighborhood.
The event I attended was more of a social gathering with random individuals ranging from what seemed like 19-28 years old. As a social gathering it was a bit awkward to be one of the few over 21 years of age and people watching became one of the most entertaining options. There were a lot of young females dressed with very provocative clothing and were clearly partaking in a underage drinking. The event seemed to portray a typical teenager’s idea of a “cool” underground party where alcohol was readily accessible and obscene drunken behavior was occurring. Through conversation, the girls had traveled from the northwest suburban areas to attend the “skater event.” The music and energy was guided by the popular “dub” music of one of the dj’s who resides in the loft. The music definitely helped to create a rave like atmosphere of psychedelic entertainment for these young individuals who were out celebrating the fourth of July.