Over the past year, the graffiti-filled shells of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza skyscrapers have haunted Los Angeles’ skyline; a sign of disrepair and, for some, artistic expression.

On Halloween, the plaza appeared to be getting up and walking away, thanks to Hollywood set designer Xavier Mozejewski, who designed a wearable costume that resembled one of the plaza’s three buildings.

Xavier Mozejewski in his multi-layered Halloween costume.

(Courtesy of Xavier Mozejewski)

“Three days before Halloween, I was working a job in Chinatown, driving on the 110, and I saw the building and thought, ‘This is it,'” Mozejewski said of preparing his costume. “It’s been floating around the internet for months. I think he’s recognizable to everyone in Los Angeles. It’s weirdly super niche but also recognizable. “Everyone has some connection to it.”

Mozejewski’s costume represented the latest chapter in the colorful history of the abandoned plaza, which many see as a symbol of the city’s neglect and persistent crime problem. In October, a Bankruptcy Court judge decided to extend the sale of towers between 40 and 53 floors. There is currently no set date for the sale.

The art department employee used recycled materials he salvaged from work and attempted to create a perfect 6-foot-tall replica of one of the bankrupt towers, which had an investment of more than $1 billion. Abandoned buildings became infamous this year after artists broke in. labeled skyscrapers from top to bottomeven with some brave ones BASE jumping outside the towers.

“Initially I was trying to get it as scaled and perfectly precise in terms of dimensions as possible. I was looking at photos for graffiti trying to get everything done before the sun went down on Halloween. “It was a race against time to manage to take photos while the sun was still out,” Mozejewski said.

While the outfit went viral tiktok And instagramMozejewski said he got a bit of a shout out from some graffiti artists who called their attempts at imitation “toys,” meaning novice.

“I appreciate the criticism. People who do creative things can keep that. He wasn’t going to a museum or anything,” he said.

Mozejewski put on his costume and was breathless at the artistry of the excited trick-or-treaters as he headed to Santa Monica. She gave them pencils and let them add their own mini graffiti to the outfit.

Having people interact with the outfit and sign autographs makes it especially special, she said.

“That’s what elevated this whole experience even more. This has evolved into a new, performance-based, theatrical dimension that I hadn’t even thought of. “This was surprising to me,” he said.