"Ashes and Echoes" exhibit in Altadena captures accounts of Eaton Fire survivors
A new project is capturing first-hand accounts of what happened in the Altadena community during the Eaton Fire. The project, "Ashes and Echoes," has turned survivor stories into a data base for future generations.
"We got involved with this because our house burned down, totally to the ground, lost everything," said Stephen Tavani, an Altadena resident.
Stephen and Linda Tavani don't want to relive the trauma they endured while escaping the Eaton Fire, but they decided to share their story for a project that's preserving the essence and history of their community.
"'Ashes and Echoes' is an oral history project that we launched, and the purpose of it was to capture and to preserve all the stories of the people who went through the Eaton Fire," said Hrag Yedalian, director of the project.
The Tavani's are among a group of nearly 50 people who have shared their stories for this project and their experiences are on display at the Pasadena Convention Center in an immersive exhibit.
The exhibit includes not just survivors' stories, but also includes artifacts, things that survivors were able to grab as they were escaping the flames.
"It was tough. I mean, she lost all her platinum gold records, personal letters from Michael Jackson, just all her career and that, you know, special stuff and all our kids' pictures and all that," Stephen Tavani said.
Stephen Tavani is a songwriter and music producer, and many know Linda Tavani as "Peaches" from the multi-platinum group, "Peaches and Herb," behind hit songs in the 70s and 80s like "Shake Your Groove Thing."
While the couple talked about all they lost in the fires, the project is not about retraumatizing survivors.
"We have no imagery, nothing about actually directly about the fire," said Ara Oshagan, the project curator. "No footage of ruined homes, anything like that, but we really focused very much on the stories and the experiences, the lived experiences of the survivors."
Linda Tavani said that after their experience, she got to the point of needing to let it go and look forward to the future.
One part of the exhibit allows the audience to write down their dreams and hopes for the future of Altadena.
"A very important part of our exhibition is hope, to try and to dream of the future," Yedalian said.
As Stephen and Linda Tavani reflect on their portraits in the exhibit, behind the pain and all of the loss, there is hope against all odds. A hope that "Ashes and Echoes" is putting on display for all to see.
"I think it captured where we are, you know, broken, hurt, but we got through it, and we're going to get through it," Stephen Tavani said. "Don't pity us, just keep this lifted up."
