5 Design Things to do This Week

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Hear from a legendary film designer, learn about the drought’s impact on building and construction, watch documentary films that incorporate virtual reality, and help clean up the LA River! Just some of this week’s design-related events in LA, courtesy of your friends at DnA.

Arnold Schwartzman
Arnold Schwartzman, holding his 1982 Oscar for Best Documentary (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

1.) An Evening with Arnold

British-born designer, photographer, author and filmmaker Arnold Schwartzman headlines “An Evening With Arnold” at the Moss Theater Wednesday. The versatile designer’s clients have included the Academy Awards (winning his own Oscar for Best Documentary in 1982) and the 1984 Olympics. Along the way he’s had brushes with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elizabeth Taylor as well as kept a spotlight on LA’s architectural history through his passion for Art Deco.
DnA’s Frances Anderton will introduce this evening that is presented by AIGA LA in partnership with Christopher Guy and BritWeek.

When: Wednesday, April 20, 7 – 9:30 pm
Where: Moss Theater, 3131 Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Tickets: $45. Buy Tickets.

King Tides at Oceanside, CA; image courtesy California Coastal Commission
King Tides at Oceanside, CA; image courtesy California Coastal Commission(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

2.) 15th Annual Municipal Green Building Conference & Expo: Water Resilient Cities

California has always been synonymous with sunshine and good times, but as drought and climate change threaten our golden state, we look to creativity and innovation to re- imagine sustainable Southern California cities of the future. Hosted annually for free by SoCal Gas and U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles (USGBC-LA), the Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo is the largest and longest-running sustainability and green building event focused on the needs and concerns of municipalities. This year’s theme is Water Resilience for Cities.

When: Thursday, April 21, 8 am – 4:30 pm
Where: Southern California Gas Company Energy Resource Ctr., 9240 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA 90241
Tickets: Free. Register Here

3.) Deep Dive into Virtual Reality: Creative Collaborations in Documentary and VR

Documentary films bring viewers a piece of the world. Can Virtual Reality put us in the middle of it? Hosted by the International Documentary Association, this event explores the intersection of these two art forms, the vast possibilities and possible limitations. Sundance programmer Hussain Currimbhoy will talk with several teams leading the way in documentary/VR including Brad Lichtenstein, Jeff Fitzsimmons, and Julie Young (Across the Line), Ari Palitz (The Click Effect), Janicza Bravo (Hard World for Small Things), Lucy Walker (A History of Cuban Dance), and Paisley Smith (Taro’s World).

When: Thursday April 21, 7 – 8:30 pm
Where: Landmark Theaters, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Tickets: $20. Buy Tickets.

Also note: A range of dynamic VR projects will be available for attendees of this event to view on Friday, April 22, between 10 am and 5 pm, at Impact Hub Los Angeles’ Arts District location. More information will be e-mailed following registration.

Artists Karina Nimmerfal and Morgan Fisher create an artistic installation based on novel housing concepts of the 1930’s and ‘50’s.
Artists Karina Nimmerfal and Morgan Fisher create an artistic installation based on novel housing concepts of the 1930’s and ‘50’s. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

4.) Past Future Housing: Artists Morgan Fisher and Karina Nimmerfall

A MAK Center exhibition explores historic housing and urban planning in the US through an installation by artists Karina Nimmerfall and Morgan Fisher: the mass-produced, modular houses dreamed of by architect, engineer, and city planner Howard T. Fisher and his company General Houses, Inc. in the 1930s; and, two decades later, the losing battle for a community-based modernism in the form of social housing, represented by the abandoned master plan for Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander’s Elysian Park Heights housing project in Chavez Ravine.

When: Opening Reception Thursday, April 21, 7-9 pm. Exhibit runs thru June 25, 2016
Where: Schindler House, 835 N Kings Road, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Tickets: This is a ticketless event and open to the public

LA River Clean-up; image courtesy FOLAR(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

5.) The Great L.A. River Clean Up

The Los Angeles River is experiencing a revitalization like never before, with projects underway to convert sections for recreation, arts and cultural corridors. But the 51 miles of river need your help to keep it clean! Please join Friends of the Los Angeles River, along with KCRW staff and volunteers, this Saturday as we work together para La Gran Limpieza. KCRW will be at the Los Feliz location. Bring the whole family!

When: Saturday April 23, 9 am – noon
Where: 7 locations – see list and map to find the location nearest you!
Tickets: Register Today!
Next Saturday, April 30th is the 3rd and final clean up event for 2016.