Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorr Volatier.
Hi Lorr, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My business is 333 Gallery, an Art Gallery in Dtla currently featuring an immersive installation called “The Subterranean Forest”. My background is in Production Design, designing sets for music videos, commercials, photo shoots, and films. When covid hit in 2020, I was out of work and quarantined indoors, like everyone else, with lots of time to think. I was intrigued by my own restlessness and that of others around me. The stimulation and value we had all been deriving from the external world had vanished, and it became obvious to me that we had a hard time sitting still and finding simple joy. It seemed to be connected to a lack of playing and exploring things just for the fun of it, without the need to capitalize on said thing.
I reconnected with my passion for painting and creating prior to being departmentalized by school and the film industry. I put everything in question and asked myself what is my heart’s true desire?.. I came to the conclusion that although I loved making sets for productions, I wanted to do it for people instead, to be of service and lend my art to be experienced in the physical world rather than the digital one. A more personal experience. Not in an interior design kind of way, but in a art installation way. A set for set’s sake~ Drawing inspiration from the works of Yayoi Kusama, Moki Cherry, Tracey Emin, and Judy Chicago; I decided I would make an “immersive installation” on Play & Connection.
I looked for different spaces to rent in Los Angeles that would be conducive for me to build this Playful Immersive Installation in. In February 2021, I found the perfect place in Downtown LA in a beautifully renovated warehouse that featured an artist collective of various businesses and like-minded individuals, the community was very inspiring – I made the jump. I had the ambitious (& nutty) goal of being done in 1 month… which soon began to look unrealistic, with my idea continuously developing and refining I slowed down and found the importance of enjoying the process and was once again reconnected deeper to play.
Three months later in May, I had the Grand opening featuring many talented vendors and independent artists also following their passions. After the opening, we took appointments mostly of friends and fam via our website and also offered Reiki sessions on the weekends, things were a little slow. Five months later in October FeverUp reached out to us with an invitation for Partnership. Since then our ticket sales have gone up and we have been able to host many many beautiful people, reminding them of the importance of slowing down enough to reconnect with your inner child and the world around you. Spreading the message to take time to feel joy, explore and simply play.
We are currently working on our second installation, which will be larger and even more immersive. We are excited to expand and one day have 333 Gallery exhibits in cities all over the world!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Yes and no. There were many learning curves, and there continue to be in different ways now.
One of the first challenges was becoming my own boss. I had to de-condition and un-learn a lot of what I thought was a healthy workday. Going from working strict 12-hour work days in the film industry to listening to my body more, moving off of my feminine cycle which has four different phases in a month, all varying in energy levels. I realized that the structure of the work environment was catered to men, and I had to find much compassion for myself in breaking down and refining what was a healthy balance of life and work for me.
Another learning curve was the importance of asking for help. I needed others to support me energetically, or physically coming in and helping me on some days. Breaking down the shame of asking for help was big for me (Capricorn iykyk lol). It made the road smoother to be able to rely on my community when I needed assistance and taught me valuable lessons about rigidity vs flow in working on your vision with another individual. Another Struggle was my expectations vs reality, I was very ambitious and wanted to get everything done and opened in 1 month. The friction between the two taught me that you really cannot rush the process and that resistance to how long things take will only create unnecessary stress. This helped me learn deeper that Art speaks on its own time and that I am a channel for it, all I need to do is listen to my body, take care of myself, and show up as clear and present for creation to flow through me. This included solidifying boundaries with myself and others alike.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in creating immersive art. I love to speak about what is on my heart through my art, to use the subtle language of shapes, colors, and textures to present messages to my audience. I enjoy telling a story, each piece I create has a moral that I communicate visually. My background in production design enables my ability to turn a painting into a world you can step into~ the corners of the frame have transformed into the corners of a room. I want my audience to be immersed and feel it through the body rather than just through the mind. A somatic experience!
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being creative makes me happy. Some days that’s painting, some days it’s curating a lookbook or a set, other days it’s taking pole classes, putting makeup on, or drawing doodles in my journal. I feel my best when I’m allowing my creative energy/ sexual energy to flow freely however it wants to be manifested that day. I find that another important aspect of being happy is to remove the rigidity of thinking things need to look or be a certain way, bringing surrender and acceptance to what makes what I’m doing a more happy experience, which is especially important for me as a creative to constantly release the need for something to turn out and remember it’s all play~i’m just flowing with creation.
Pricing:
- Can be found on our booking page on Fever Up https://feverup.com/m/124466
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.333gallery.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/333_gallery_la/
- Other: TICKETS: https://feverup.com/m/124466
