today's washington post
Obscured in a muck of bulldozers, cranes and concrete in Silver Spring, a nascent summer party called 88 Degrees is getting off the ground, one new face at a time. The monthly electronica-art-and- higher-objectives affair culls DJs, graffiti artists and others to create in real time -- all a backdrop for creative types to huddle and mingle on a vast terrace (and sip mojitos, of course).
Today from 4 to 10:30 p.m., Galbis of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the guest DJ, several D.C. and Baltimore artists will project abstract art onto surfaces and D.C. area graffiti-based artist Ross Trimmer coordinates a group of artists as they remake a graffiti wall. (The newish Gallery Restaurant and Lounge has played host to the events on its terrace.) And, as if you need a reason to come back, the wall is redone at every party.
The brain behind 88 Degrees is David Fogel, a Bethesda native and urban planner whose 9-to-7 focus is nonprofit work. But he's hardly new to the DJ scene, having thrown similar parties for about three years. (A series in 2004 called Equation featured Fogel spinning, a journalist projecting writings and a fashion designer remaking clothing items of sentimental value during the party .)
Of the Silver Spring event, Fogel says: "It's not just about the music; it's not just about the art. It's fusing all of those things with the larger overtone of building creative communities, even creative sensibilities. Your mind just starts to work in a different way, and that's the purpose."
The party doesn't stop until September. Free. http://www.eightyeightdc.com. 1115 East West Hwy. 301-589-2555.
-- Lavanya Ramanathan
