The “Portal” Light Installation

Today’s locale can be filed in the hidden-gem-that-is-not-a-filming-location category, much like the Barthman Sidewalk Clock in New York.  (Well, it'”‘”‘s not really a filming location, but more on that in a bit.)  This one is located in Los Angeles, though, and is a definite must-see under-the-radar spot.  Looking back, I can’t remember how I first learned about Portal, the unique light installation tucked away in Little Tokyo’s Weller Court shopping center, but as soon as I did I was transfixed.  I pored over images of the site, practically drooling, and immediately added it to the tip top of my To-Stalk List.  But when I ventured out there a few weeks later, I was shocked at what a hard time I had locating the art piece.  Walking around Weller Court, I could not seem to find it anywhere and no one I asked (even two local cops patrolling the area) had any clue as to what I was talking about (though the cops were intrigued and asked me to report back to them if I ever did track the thing down as they wanted to see it themselves).  The lack of awareness on the subject was surprising considering Portal’s current popularity on Instagram.  I finally managed to pinpoint the installation after about thirty minutes of searching and figured a blog post was in order so that my fellow stalkers don’t have to suffer the same confusion I did.

Portal is the work of visual artist Akiko Yamashita, who was commissioned by the owner of Weller Court in 2014 to jazz up a lackluster exterior hallway leading to the shopping center’s elevator and rear entrance/exit that fronts East 2nd Street.

Her vision, which consists of 7,000 colorful light pixels that bounce and dance around the small corridor, was completed the following year.

To create the piece, Yamashita embedded individually addressable LED strips into the floor, sides, and ceiling of the 271.5-foot passageway.

Illumination continually moves throughout the strips, shining different colors along the way, resulting in a virtual light show.

Though the installation runs 24 hours a day, it operates intermittently, which is why I had a hard time finding it.

As you can see below, the passageway doesn’t look like much when Portal isn’t running.

But when the lights go on, it is pretty darn spectacular.

And it becomes even more so at night, as you can see in these images.

The “show” reminds me a bit of the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland, though it is not set to music.

As I mentioned, Portal has become an Instagram favorite, popping up all over the grid of countless feeds.  The installation also won A’Design Award & Competition’s Silver Award in the Lighting Products and Lighting Projects Design category for 2017-2018.

If you find yourself in downtown L.A. looking for something to do, I highly recommend stopping by Weller Court to catch a glimpse of Portal.  To save you the headache of pinpointing it, here is a breakdown of its exact location.  The easiest method of reaching the installation is via the 200 block of East 2nd Street, as the passageway serves as the shopping center’s rear entrance.  Portal is located just beyond the staircase pictured below.

Portal can also be reached from the inside of Weller Court shopping center, which is located at 123 Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka Street.  The entrance to the marketplace is pictured below.

The installation is situated directly across from the main entrance through the doorway with the red awning that is denoted with a pink arrow in the photo below.

And in the interest of being thorough, here’s a close-up image of that doorway, which serves as Portal’s entrance.

Thanks to fellow stalker Walter, I learned that Weller Court makes an appearance at the beginning of the Season 3 episode of Highway to Heaven titled “All That Glitters” as the spot where Charley Trapola (John Pleshette) hocks fake gold necklaces.

The hallway that now houses Portal is very briefly visible in the scene.

At the beginning of the 2008 action flick Hancock, John Hancock (Will Smith) is seen sleeping on a bench situated just outside of Weller Court, in front of the Bank of the West outpost at 123 Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka Street, Suite 101.

In the Google Street View image below, the pink box denotes where the bench was placed in the scene.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Portal is located in the hallway leading to the elevator on the southern side of Weller Court shopping center at 123 Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka Street in Little Tokyo.  The corridor also serves as Weller Court'”‘”‘s East 2nd Street entrance, which can be found on the 200 block of East 2nd Street, in between South Los Angeles and San Pedro Streets.  Kinokuniya, one of my favorite area book/gift stores, is located on Weller Court'”‘”‘s second level directly above Marukai Market.  And Demitasse Cafe, one of my fave L.A. coffee shops, is just down the block at 135 South San Pedro Street, as is Kyoto Gardens from Her, which can be found on the third floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown at 120 South Los Angeles Street.

‘