Sanctuary : Sanctuary City

As part of LA design Weekend programming, Faith-Ann teamed up with floral designer Val Jurado, to create “Sanctuary: Sanctuary City”, a temporary sanctuary for reflection, comfort, and connection in this tender moment for Los Angeles.

Transforming Park + Lex Studios in downtown Los Angeles, the pair fused their talents to design a space of calm and respite, free and open to the public on Sept 26th, 2025.

Faith-Ann debuted a preview selection of her new series of textile sculptures, which she has created showcasing hopeful photographic evidence of regrowth and regeneration from the fire-scarred landscapes of Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

Meanwhile, Val’s vibrant floral installations and altar honored our diverse city of immigrants, and those currently under attack and being dissappeared, whose unseen labor keeps our city flowing.

In a year that continues to weigh so heavily on this city, spaces of refuge, community and care are vital. It was powerful to see how the space resonated with attendees, as they rested on the carpets, journaled, added notes to the installation, drew, processed, and partook in the healing activations throughout the day.

LA Design Weekend Installation (2025)

Faith-Ann created this new series of textile flag series by photographing signs of life and renewal after the January fires in Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu this September.

She built each composition by merging images she photographed of nature’s resilience —birds, new regrowth—with the textures and hues from the abstract paintings she made in response to the fires, to create her distinct, dream-like images.

She then printed these unique works on to delicate chiffon, sewn, and hung with care; the works stand as testaments to survival.

In the LA fires this year, 37,000 acres burned, destroying over 16,000 structures, including 12,500 homes, while displacing nearly 13,000 households. This installation bears witness to that loss while offering a hopeful message of the potential for rebirth.

Encircled by these flags, the community was given space to grieve, hope, repair, and dream.

This is a preview of this fine art series, as she will continue adding to this series in the months to come, with the full body of work unveiled in an installation next year.

Val crafted these dynamic floral installations and alter center piece from found materials gathered across Los Angeles as well as native and non-native plants—brought here through human movement— mirroring the layered diversity of our city.

Woven into the work are familiar objects that stand as totems for undocumented workers whose labor sustains Los Angeles. From construction to fruit vending, their presence is essential though often unseen.

In late August 2025, Border Patrol and ICE reported arresting over 5,000 people in the Los Angeles area since June. Nationally, over 132,000 deportations were recorded in the same period. Each individual taken is an entire ecosystem within our community, and the impact ripples outward: children left to foster care or forced return, families fractured, names withheld.

To honor the spirit of those disappeared, those enduring displacement, and those affected by the fires.

Guests were invited to pause, journal, and listen to ambient sound meditations. Visitors added notes to the altar : on the left side, they wrote names of friends and family who have been affected during this trying time, and on the right, they wrote what was giving them hope during this time, to spur hope for the collective future.

Meanwhile, other healing practioners offered gifts - with Danielle Karuna playing the harmonium, Judson Emery facilitating a soundbath, Eboné McCloud initiating breathwork and tea ritual, while Shizuka Kusayanagi offered intuitive drawings.

Val Jurado (left) and Faith-Ann Young (right)

We have intense gratitude to all who contributed to make this possible, from our installation team who worked tirelessly, to our healers who contributed, to the attendees who brought life and memories to this space.

Photos: Rome Jerome Shaw + Faith-Ann Young

Fabric Donations : Sew For Your Ideas

Beverage Sponsor : Best Day Brewing.

Activations : Danielle Karuna, Judson Emery, Eboné McCloud, Shizuka Kusayanagi