5 design things to do this week

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See Tony Berlant’s latest works at Kohn Gallery; witness Auschwitz in miniature at REDCAT; check out four exhibitions at A+D museum; hear from a design duo that remade Hotel Figueroa; and don’t forget to drop in on the Two-Bit Circus Micro Amusement Park.

1) Tony Berlant at Kohn Gallery

Tony Berlant takes photos and digitally applies them onto tin, which is then sliced, diced and collaged onto plywood, producing glittering images like Hot in the Ring, above. Now the longtime Santa Monica-based artist is showing a new body of work at Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles, his new dealer after 33 years at LA Louver in Venice. The show opens Saturday.

When: Through November 3, 2018; Opening Reception: Saturday, September 22nd, 5 – 7 pm; gallery opening hours: Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 6 pm; Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm.

Where: 1227 North Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038 (Parking in rear off of North Citrus Ave)

Tickets: Free and open to the public. Click here for more information.

2) From Frayed to Wireframes at A+D  Museum 

The energetic executive director Anthony Morey and his team at A+D Museum in the Arts District believe that good things come in multiples. Hot off a summer cluster of shows, they have opened four exhibitions simultaneously, ranging from the liquid forms of Rachael McCall in Frayed through to Wireframes: The Visualization of Architecture, which tracks “the art of architectural visualization since its inception,” from drawing through early computer renderings to VR. Then there is Architecture in Perspective, a show of this year’s winners of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators’ and On the Meridian-Beginnings, a collection of skeletal carved wood furniture at the edge of art by Vincent Pocsik (above).

When: Through November 25, 2018; open Wednesdays – Sundays (click here for hours.)

Where: A+D Museum, 900 E. 4th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Tickets: Free to members; Suggested donation for non-members: $10. Click here for general information.

3) Rotterdam’s Hotel Modern brings KAMP to REDCAT

Said to be an astonishing piece of theater and design, KAMP, by Rotterdam’s Hotel Modern, depicts Auschwitz, through filling the entire stage with “an elaborate and meticulously rendered scale model of buildings, train tracks, and thousands of miniature figurines.” This miniature world is manipulated by Dutch visual and performing artists Arléne Hoornweg, Herman Helle and Pauline Kalker, whose grandfather spent his final days at the concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.

When: September 20-23, 2018, 8:30 pm

Where: Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater | REDCAT, 631 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Tickets: Click here for information and tickets.

4) Studio Collective at Hotel Figueroa

Ninety-two years ago, the YWCA of Los Angeles opened Hotel Figueroa as a Downtown L.A. “safe haven for female travelers.” Later the Casablanca meets Spanish Colonial-themed interior with colorful tile, candelbras and wrought-iron details became a hip hangout for folks hanging out in downtown before its recent boom. Then it fell out of fashion as hotels and nightclubs galore opened up.

“It was nice candle-lit at night, but during the day it was very depressing,” says Chris Schulz, a founding partner of Santa Monica design firm Studio Collective that, in collaboration with El Segundo-based Rockefeller Kempel Architects, recently completed a four-year revitalization project of the hotel.

Christian Schulz and his design partner Adam Goldstein will talk about how they went about redesigning Hotel Figueroa, aiming to keep its the best of its past while letting in light and contemporary character. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

When: Thursday, Sept. 20, 6 – 8 pm

Where: Hotel Figueroa, 939 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles CA 90015

Tickets: Click here for information and tickets.  Space is limited, please reserve a spot no later than Wednesday 9/19; RSVP to Natasha Neufeld (Natasha_neufeld@sciarc.edu).

NOTE: This is part of SCI-Arc’s Salon Series, drawing attention to the work of its alumni; on Wednesday, September 20, the downtown-based architecture school will host a lecture by innovative designer and teacher Alisa Andrasek: High Resolution Fabric of Architecture.

5) Two-Bit Circus Micro-Amusement Park 

If you are in DTLA for SCI-Arc’s events (above) or A+D Museum’s exhibitions, drop by the nearby, newly opened Two-Bit Circus “micro-amusement park,”  a 21st century mash-up of virtual, mixed reality and group play, escape/story rooms, dining and bar areas and more, spread through different zones in a cavernous former warehouse. Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman created the park and either designed the games, or created them in partnership with game developers.

One of DnA’s favorites is the quirky Space Palette, a high tech blend of music and art designed by a musician, software designer and longtime “burner” named Tim Thompson, above. The game involves thrusting your hands into the different holes into his vertical easel and as you wave them around you produce your own personal sound and light show. “Each (hole) holds a different sound, and a different graphic,” he explains, adding, “my hands are three-dimensional paint brushes, essentially.” Check out last week’s DnA on ATC for more background.

When: Open Monday-Thursday: 4 pm – 11 pm; Friday: 4 pm – 1 am; Saturday: 10 am – 1 am; Sunday: 10 am – 11 pm.

Where: 634 Mateo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Tickets: Entry into the park is free. All arcade and midway games can be paid for with a loaded playing card. Click here for more information.