14 Si ヴゥドゥ was born from Alina Hiloha’s upbringing making handmade regalia, clothing, and accessories in a community of origin that excelled in craftwork, carpentry, sustainable gardening, beekeeping, hunting, fishing, and other traditionally valued vocations.
In an environment known for petroleum refineries and the aviation industry, Alina’s community of origin was passionate about demonstrating skill in interior design, engineering, chemistry, and applied STEM.
Alina has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and brings visibility to the port of Los Angeles: the largest port on the Western seaboard of the North American continent that is responsible for feeding the nation.
The LA River at the port of Los Angeles and the banks of the river between San Pedro and Long Beach are the receiving grounds for large shipments that America relies upon for daily life, such as digital technology manufactured in Asia.
The highways of coastal Los Angeles County get goods out of our port and into your homes, and our air quality matters now more than ever as locals sit just below sea level in a fish bowl effect: an ecological and environmental phenomenon making exercise in the region difficult for those sensitive to pollution. Local sustainability thought leaders in the West lead nationally as we face fires, earthquakes, floods, as well as water, air, and light pollution.
Alina is an alumnus of Stanford University with professional training as a costume seamstress and scene shop carpenter in the Theater and Performance Studies Department. Alina’s background as a Technical Director, Director’s Assistant, Costume Designer, Graphic Designer, Dramaturge, and Assistant Producer for a Shakespeare film & theater company in Palo Alto has provided experiential mastery in the application of thought to form when making meaningful art that produces an educational cultural shift.
Alina is a poet, researcher, and playwright who has been known as Mama Crab since their debut as a storyteller at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Alina has studied with Maestra Cherrie Moraga who is known for “This Bridge Called My Back: Writings from Radical Women of Color” and the co-creation of the Kitchen Table Press alongside the likes of Audre Lorde.
The feminists and womanists that brought environmental consciousness and traditional ecological knowledge into the mainstream are Alina’s inspiration in art.
Alina has stayed the course to a core ambition of preserving institutional memory and history in landscapes prone to sudden changes. Like waves on the shoreline slowly crumbling shells, time has the power to dissolve anything to sand. And yet wise people create tapestries of meaning that bring the village together, reminding them of their unique contributions and worth through art.
