The LA goth community will be having a party on June 23. But if you’re wondering, no, it’s not a pool party.
Leviathan — An Aquatic Goth Soiree is the latest immersive event at The Count’s Den, the cutting-edge theater space in downtown LA, run by Immersive Art Collective.
The goth party/immersive theater hybrid will feature music, live entertainment, vendors, food and a costume contest, as well as immersive theater elements. Halloween Every Night talked to Shane Izykowski, event producer for Leviathan and the events and programs manager for the Immersive Art Collective about the event.
Halloween Every Night: What was the inspiration behind Leviathan?
Shane Izykowski: I began hosting Goth Night events at a separate venue in May of last year[2022]. I partnered with an amazing local artist, Kria Lindquist, who has been immersed in the So Cal goth scene for a very long time. I only moved to L.A. in September of 2020, so I was very behind, in terms of being involved in the scene. Kria was an essential part of learning about the local scene, meeting people, and growing my network. They have since stepped back from co-hosting the events so they can concentrate more on their flourishing art career — seriously, go look them up.
During the time we were hosting together, we tried several times to come up with a name that was more specific than “Goth Night” — what the event was called before, but nothing ever seemed to click. So, when I began the journey of hosting, marketing, branding and producing these events on my own, I took a deep dive — pun intended — into what meant something to me, specifically.
I wanted something that sounded powerful and stuck with people. Something that people would remember. Leviathan is often referred to as the embodiment of chaos, and is the name of a demon sea creature in the Bible that represents envy. The name kept coming back to me, and I decided to use it. Originally, it was just going to be a Goth night that was named Leviathan, but as time went on, and I got used to the name, I decided to lean heavily into the lore of Leviathan, and make the event more thematic. I am also a water sign, so the aquatic theme has been a theme that has been with me my entire life. Then, when I researched to see if there were any other aquatic themed Goth nights, there didn’t seem to be, so I ran the idea by some of my inner circle with a mostly positive response. Hence, Leviathan was born.
HEN: As an Aquatic Goth Soirée, what can guests expect thematically?
SI: This is the very first one of these events, so I’ve tried my best to fit as much in without being too heavy-handed about it.
I want people to enjoy the theme, without having the theme forced upon them in a weird way. I don’t want to give everything away, but one of the coolest elements in working in partnership with the Immersive Art Collective is that we have immersive actors available to us. I believe that the immersive elements of this event will absolutely set us apart from any other event. I’ve made some costume pieces, and collaboratively conceptualized the idea with actors Tosca Minotto & Ian Heath. We’re all working together to make this part of the event really cool. I even got a chance to teach Ian how to walk on Powerizer stilts.
As for the rest of the event, each of the rooms has a themed named, such as The Crow’s Nest, The Engine Room, and The Hull. But, I also hope that the attendees will help steer the ship. I would love for them to use their wildly creative brains and come up with some interesting ways to incorporate the theme into a cool costume. I learned as I was putting this all together that there is something called MermaidCore nowadays, so I am hoping for some mermaids and sirens. But, this is L.A., the creature capitol. I’d really love to see some Cthulu-esque creatures from the deep … but make it goth.
HEN: What kind of vendors will be there?
SI: The roster of talent that has come together to make this event a literal leviathan has been incredible. Here’s most of everyone involved — NIGHT MARKET VENDORS: Jazmin Jude, La Dama Luna, Witches & Devils Coven, Rick Kitagawa, Kooky Bat Art, ComaVVitch, Mystic Mouse Emporium, Spooky Jack’s Skellery, Cali Crafty Critters, Third Eye Alley Cat, RADARTLWD, Soup’s Crystals & Oddities, BPD Bruja, Melusine Dream, Eternal Craft Designs, Heart of Steel, The Contrary Dame, The Art of Shane Izykowski, Joint Fairy, VXM clothing , Alexander Lambropoulos, and Dahlier Lingerie.
HEN: What are the parameters for the costume contest?
SI: Originality, level of difficulty and details, including makeup, hair, etc. And, the grand prizes for the main winner are a full size Ophelia skull by Spooky Jack’s Skellery and a handmade crown from the marketing/flyer for the event, made by me.
HEN: Anything else you’d like to highlight or add?
SI: I’d also like to add that the hope is that we can continue running these events every two months or so. The only way we can justify that is to keep attendance high and keep it exciting for everyone. We are continuing with the theme, but you can expect a little something different at each event. I’m really excited about what the future brings for Leviathan.
The Gory Details
Leviathan
An Aquatic Goth Soirée
8 p.m.-2 a.m.
The Count’s Den
1039 S. Olive St., Los Angeles
immersiveartcollective.org
$5-$18
The event also features:
The Mandragorium (Bone Readings)
VitaMortis (Magickal Services)
Live entertainment:
Safeword LA
AtomNuke & Court Fort
GoGo Dancer: VESPER
Jeremy Labib
Scum Choir
Costume contest @10 p.m.
with Guest Judges Disasterina (Boulet Brother’s Dragula), Kasey Kupcake and VitaMortis!
Food:
Sweet Cheeks Bakeries
Issa Vegan Thang
Sticky Dawgs