I installed BangBang in November of 2007 at the Left Bank Building while it was still under renovation.  The building, originally called the Hazelwood, was constructed in 1923, and designed by A.E. Dolye.  BangBang was about Left Bank’s impact on the post-WW II jazz community of Portland.  During World War II, a significant number of migrant workers traveled from the Southern U.S. to the Columbia River looking for jobs in the war time industry.  Most of them found work in the Kaiser Shipyards, and when the war ended in 1945, a majority of them stayed, establishing what we know today as North Portland.  Upon settling in Portland, those migrant communities brought the music and culture of Jazz, launching Portland as the place to see Jazz west of the Mississippi.
       Located just below Williams Avenue on N.E. Broadway in what is known today as the Rose Quarter the Left Bank Building was home to the The Dude Ranch, a famous jazz club in post-war Portland.  The Dude Ranch was a popular club known for its nightlife and prominent acts.  Performing some of the most riveting music in the history of Portland Jazz were Lewis Armstrong, Pat Patterson, and the Buddy Banks Band.

       The life of The Dude Ranch was short.  Interracial tensions within the community, as well as a reputation for a late-night gambling, resulted in it being added to the list of controversial clubs on Williams Avenue.  Unfortunately, in 1946, an accidental shooting was reported, and as quickly as it had become an established hot spot for Jazz, The Dude Ranch was shut down by city authorities.  This unmistakable loss to the Jazz community shows the impact of architecture as a cultural support. The key to my interaction with the stories of The Dude Ranch was looking at how our narratives affect our surroundings, and how our surroundings influence our narratives.  I call these text-based responses to history narrative reductions, distilling research to its simplest point or action.
       Three months after I completed BangBang, the wall on which the painting was located was removed as part of the renovation.  Directly behind the removed wall was another wall space where a group of signatures was found.  The signatures were those of the members of the Buddy Banks Band, a well known jazz group of the 1940's and 50's.