Fire is a constant worry for the people who live, work, and hang out in underground art spaces, like the one that consumed a warehouse in Oakland, California earlier this month.
Since the Oakland fire, the DIY art and music scene that flourishes in basements and warehouses nation wide has gone on much as it always has. Benefit shows were held for the residents of the Oakland space, as benefit shows have been held after other fires, and denizens of the underground art scene looked for solutions from within, things they could do themselves.
Eight days after the fire, Bushwick music venue and artist live/work space Silent Barn held an emergency response teach-in. Two instructors led the workshop, which was based on skills they had gathered from other ad hoc trainings over the years.
