After finding a parking spot I track down the band members who are waiting in the back alley between Klinger and Sobieski. They are all huddled into a pickup truck blasting the heat trying to stay warm. A typical Michigan day, expect warm and sunny but get cold and cloudy. I introduce myself to George, the Marc Bolan of the Detroit scene, and try to correct myself from losing focus of the task. But a head of hair like George's demands your undivided attention at least for a few seconds, after which you can proceed as planned. As they start to set up equipment in the alley my eyes fix on two things, the drum set and George's second skin lamé lace pants. This is going to be good.
At first in shock and faced with partial English apprehension, Dmytro Szylak, creator of Hamtramck Disneyland pulls Producer Groth over seeming ready to pull the plug, but with a bit of smooth coaxing and a slice of hot n' ready pepperoni pizza, Szylak is on board with the Single Barrel mission. As if watching the images of his massive construction come to life, Disneyland opened wide and engulfed a new element of sound. When originally constructed, the sculptural giant was accompanied by Ukrainian folk songs that played on loud speakers filling the alley with memories of his childhood. This was not like that. George and his entourage filled the colossal toy castle with Rock n' Roll music.
Unlike the chants of his childhood, Szylak watched as The Satin Peaches' songs transformed his conglomeration into a living and breathing circus. The drum's patter gave the impression of being trapped in a pinball machine. Surrounded by ridiculous and garish gnome-like sculptures and cadmium yellow picket posts, the clacking drum beats had no break and danced around kissing horses, ricocheting off of weathered wood and finally escaped laughing all the way down the alley. But the sounds did not run free without bringing attention to themselves and their origin. Curious gawkers slowly started to emerge from neighboring houses and garages. Initially I wondered how many more songs we could get out of the band before they called the cops on us. After they flagged down one of the crewmembers we realized it was only because they wanted us to "Turn it up!" With a smile on Szylak's face and having given his neighbors a dose of Rock n' Roll, we went on with the performance.
George and Jesse, vocalists, took turns giving their songs a chance to play in the circus that is Disneyland. Their singing styles each played so well with the surroundings, only asking to be heard, much like the structure itself, which is only asking to be seen. The Satin Peaches were able to turn the fantasyland of a Ukrainian man into an avante garde concert hall of sorts with a most peculiar but exceptional audience.
- Candace O'Leary
At first in shock and faced with partial English apprehension, Dmytro Szylak, creator of Hamtramck Disneyland pulls Producer Groth over seeming ready to pull the plug, but with a bit of smooth coaxing and a slice of hot n' ready pepperoni pizza, Szylak is on board with the Single Barrel mission. As if watching the images of his massive construction come to life, Disneyland opened wide and engulfed a new element of sound. When originally constructed, the sculptural giant was accompanied by Ukrainian folk songs that played on loud speakers filling the alley with memories of his childhood. This was not like that. George and his entourage filled the colossal toy castle with Rock n' Roll music.
Unlike the chants of his childhood, Szylak watched as The Satin Peaches' songs transformed his conglomeration into a living and breathing circus. The drum's patter gave the impression of being trapped in a pinball machine. Surrounded by ridiculous and garish gnome-like sculptures and cadmium yellow picket posts, the clacking drum beats had no break and danced around kissing horses, ricocheting off of weathered wood and finally escaped laughing all the way down the alley. But the sounds did not run free without bringing attention to themselves and their origin. Curious gawkers slowly started to emerge from neighboring houses and garages. Initially I wondered how many more songs we could get out of the band before they called the cops on us. After they flagged down one of the crewmembers we realized it was only because they wanted us to "Turn it up!" With a smile on Szylak's face and having given his neighbors a dose of Rock n' Roll, we went on with the performance.
George and Jesse, vocalists, took turns giving their songs a chance to play in the circus that is Disneyland. Their singing styles each played so well with the surroundings, only asking to be heard, much like the structure itself, which is only asking to be seen. The Satin Peaches were able to turn the fantasyland of a Ukrainian man into an avante garde concert hall of sorts with a most peculiar but exceptional audience.
- Candace O'Leary
A cultural crux such as Hamtramck has for generations been a safety net for Henry Ford's many factory workers and other immigrant groups who fled to Detroit for various reasons. They all blended in creating their own cultural communities and existing as they did before they were a part of America. They opened culture specific bakeries, restaurants and even cultural centers where they could house their beliefs and customs. Today there are still distinct districts within Hamtramck, certain parts house a high Muslim diaspora while a large majority of the inhabitants still come from Eastern European heritage. Dmytro Szylak, creator of Hamtramck Disneyland seemed to pick a place, regardless of cultural zoning and essentially created his own palace; his own utopia to send a message of sorts to the rest of the city. Related in style to Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project, Szylak seems to use anything that he finds to build his Disneyland. While Disneyland does not openly discuss political issues that Guyton references in his work, i.e. lynching of slaves or the holocaust, Szylak seems to touch on a more relevant issue to his cause and to many others in his neighborhood, but that does not rule out the influence that WWII may have had on his art. His architectural sculpture seems to be an accurate representation of culture clash. An East meets West installation. The construction took him roughly two years of work from 1997-1999 all of which was done in his 80's. One has to speculate what would drive an 80-year-old man to send such a vibrant message to his community, but in order to get the real answer you have to speak his language or bring a Ukrainian translator. Hamtramck Disneyland located at 12087 Klinger is a sight to see.