Explore Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels

Explore Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels

The Human Atlas is really very simple. It’s a process in which I try to communicate powerful narratives about extraordinary people to inspire the next generation to fashion their lives not in the shadow of those who have come before, but on their shoulders. So it’s a call to service. It’s a social impact art project. It’s designed to lift us up and let us see what we can do when we both self-author and co-author a more hopeful future.Marcus Lyon

Start by watching a short introductory video about Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels, a social-impact art project by Marcus Lyon. Alta features 100 individuals who have made a positive difference in communities across Los Angeles County. Many of these individuals have created impactful change by challenging systems of oppression and marginalization, reclaiming narratives that have historically been erased or distorted, and building collective power to advance their communities’ self-determination.

Each participant is represented through three elements:

• A photographic portrait
• A recorded oral history in which participants share their life experiences
• A visualization of their ancestral DNA (participation is voluntary), illustrating deep ancestral human migration patterns rather than medical or health information

Go to the Alta website to explore. Select three people who catch your interest. For each person, look at each of the elements listed above and listen to their oral histories.

Questions

After exploring the portraits, ancestral DNA, and oral histories for three Alta participants, write or discuss your responses to the following questions:

• How would you describe this art project? How is it structured?
• Why did you select these three people? What about them caught your interest?
• Which details resonate with you and why?
• What common threads exist among the people who you looked at? Why do you think they were selected to be part of the Human Atlas?
• What different elements come together to shape each person’s identity? Consider any relevant details like: family background, birthplace or places lived, experiences, interests, beliefs, languages, special skills or talents.
• What can you learn from a portrait alone? What can’t you learn? How does the portrait shape your first impressions of the person?
• After listening to the oral history, did your interpretation of the portrait change? How?
• What parts of a person’s identity can be understood through DNA and which parts cannot? How is ancestry different from identity?
• Is there anything about their life experiences that connects with your own experiences or those of someone that you know? Lyon said he created the Human Atlas “to inspire the next generation to fashion their lives not in the shadow of those who have come before, but on their shoulders.” In thinking about the three Alta participants you explored, describe if or how you found inspiration for your own life.

Read About Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels

Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels was unveiled in 2024 after four years of research and collaboration. It is the fifth in a series of Human Atlas projects that began in 2014 and have included places such as Brazil and Detroit, Michigan. The title “Alta” refers to both the rich, layered history of Los Angeles, California, and the idea of elevating the stories of people whose contributions collectively shape the city. (“Alta” means “high” in Spanish.) Instead of mapping streets, neighborhoods, or landmarks, the project creates a “human atlas” in which identity is understood through relationships, migration, memory, and community. The result is both an artwork and a lasting cultural archive intended to preserve a portrait of Los Angeles at the moment in its history when Alta was created. Its elements come together to reveal how the participants’ lives intersect with Los Angeles—past, present and future—creating a legacy work that documents and conserves a deeper narrative for generations to come about the county, its people and communities.

At the heart of Alta is the idea that understanding a community means listening to the stories of the people who live there, and recognizing the many historical migrations that have contributed to these stories. While ancestry is one part of each participant’s story, Lyon emphasizes that identity is shaped just as much by lived experiences, relationships, and community. He explains, “We are from everywhere. And that is clear when you analyze our DNA. Our DNA does not map to modern national borders.” And just as Lyon connects with historical ancestry through his DNA mapping, he also connects with the traditions of community storytelling that have long been used by Indigenous communities and communities of color to preserve knowledge, culture, history, and community identity. Oral traditions were a powerful way that diverse societies around the world passed down cultural and community knowledge from generation to generation.

How Alta Participants Were Selected

One of the distinctive features of Alta is the way participants were chosen. Rather than selecting well-known public figures himself, Lyon spent a year inviting community leaders, artists, educators, activists, local organizations, and other changemakers across Los Angeles County to nominate people who have made meaningful contributions to their communities. “We’ve gone to places and asked, ‘Who are the people who are making the difference here?’” he says. “We found those people and asked them: ‘What burns inside you? What are the dreams you have about the world you’re trying to build?’ This project is very much about listening and taking enormous care in accurately representing a group of remarkable human beings.”

The final group of Alta participants includes both well-known local figures and unsung heroes who work every day to improve their communities. They span a wide range of ages, origins, and vocations. They include activists, advocates, teachers, artists, writers, musicians, scientists, and physicians, as well as a paralympic athlete, basketball coach, chef, comedian, fire chief, and a former gang member turned mentor. Together, they reflect the diversity, creativity, and resilience of Los Angeles and demonstrate the many ways people can make a positive impact on their communities. By sharing their stories, Lyon hopes to inspire others to take action and challenge injustices in their communities.

Questions

Wrap up your exploration of Alta by discussing or writing your responses to the following questions.

• Why do you think the artist calls it a “Human Atlas”?
• How does the Human Atlas project challenge or expand the ways we usually think about identity?
• What might be the value of describing a place through the people who live there? What do you like about this approach? What do you think could be missing? If you were the artist, is there anything else you would add?
• How does representation influence public understanding of a community?

A person who takes action to improve communities and society or to challenge injustice and inequality through activities such as organizing, protesting, educating others, or advocating for change.

Something that relates to, is inherited from, or passed down by one’s ancestors from previous generations, or is connected to family history, traditions, or origins.

A network or group of people, sometimes living in a particular place, who share interests, values, characteristics, responsibilities, or physical spaces.

The qualities, expressions, beliefs, physical traits, cultures, and social statuses that comprise a person and/or group of people.

In different contexts, “justice” refers to both moral correctness and fairness, and also the rule of law. By contrast, “injustice” usually describes unfairness.

The act or process of pushing a group of people to the outside of society, or treating them as unimportant or powerless.

Historical, organized, and systemic mistreatment of and discrimination towards a group or community. Oppression can be ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized.

An interview that is typically recorded in which someone shares their experiences, memories, and perspective. Oral histories capture history through the voices of the people who lived it.

The right or ability of a person or group to make their own choices or control their own destiny.