Stepping into Memory: Ken Gonzales-Day and the Alternative Los Angeles Walking Tour

“Stepping Into Memory: Ken Gonzales-Day and the Alternative Los Angeles Walking Tour” critically examines Ken Gonzales-Day's artistic interventions as a means of reshaping collective memory in Los Angeles, particularly in relation to the city's overlooked histories of racial violence and lynching. Through an analysis of The Outdoor Museum installation, altered archival photographs, and guided alternative walking tours in Downtown Los Angeles, the chapter explores how Gonzales-Day challenges dominant historical narratives and brings attention to marginalized experiences embedded in the city's landscape. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from Yi-Fu Tuan's concepts of space and place, Michel de Certeau's ideas of spatial practice, and Avery Gordon's theory of haunting, the analysis shows how everyday locations in Los Angeles are transformed into meaningful sites of reflection and memory. The chapter also contrasts Gonzales-Day's approach with more sanitized public commemorations, such as Placerville's “Hangtown” legacy, to highlight ongoing tensions in how history is publicly remembered. Ultimately, the essay demonstrates how embodied artistic practices can uncover forgotten histories and invite more inclusive understandings of the city's past.

Keywords: California history ; Collective memory ; Haunting ; Historical markers ; Lynching ; Photography ; Public Art ; Racial violence ; Space and place ; Urban memory