We open our new cultural complex located in the heart of Long Beach with a newly commissioned experiential installation by artist Glenn Kaino. The Laboratory at Compound is a site for artistic experimentation. It is a place for art to interface directly with the public with the intention of supporting artists in realizing innovative ideas according to their vision. Compound is invested in creating intimate encounters between new art and new audiences.

The participatory installation entitled Tidepools is composed of three parts: a wishing well, a cloud chamber and a resonant sound component.

Art in our political present can be read as a call to arms, gesturing to what the late curator Okwui Enwezor considered “a change agenda.” Compound proposes that a cultural space for the community is a place in which “to act,” educate, and illuminate artistic ideas and ideals particularly at such a critical cultural moment.

The first sculpture garden installation in the open courtyard at Compound features a series of ceramic works by Anna Sew Hoy creating a space of reflection, protection and openness. This group of sculptures composed of stoneware and mirror represent abstract forms that ambiguously evoke the body.