5 Design Things To Do This Week

Written by

Your week in design events from DnA.

1. Chris Francis: Shoe Designer

“These shoes are made for walking. . . ” Maybe not; but certainly for gawking at. They are the creation of Chris Francis, a Los Angeles-based shoe designer, and fabricator, whose first solo exhibition solo show opens Memorial Day weekend at the Craft & Folk Art Museum. The former art student, graphic designer, and carpenter combines influences from “high fashion, 20th century art movements, and punk rock” to create functional and artistic kicks worth checking out.

When: On view from May 24, 2015-September 6, 2015

Where: Craft & Folk Art Museum; 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles

Tickets:  $7 general, $5 seniors/students/teachers

Click here for more information.

palm-card-a-with-bleed

2. ‘Women Can Build’: Re-envisioning Rosie 

The iconic ‘Rosie the Riveter’ image that circulated during the second world war represented a moment in history when women set aside their traditional roles to play an active part in the war effort. And while the idea of female soldiers and builders is less surprising or controversial today, a new exhibit at Los Angeles Union Station, featuring photography by Pulitzer-winning Deanne Fitzmaurice, highlights the faces and achievements of women in traditionally male builder/construction positions.

When: Friday May 22-June 19, 2015

Where: Los Angeles Union Station; 800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles

Tickets: Free and open to the public.

Click here for more information.

ode-santos-dumont

3. Chris Burden: Ode to Santos Dumont

Artist Chris Burden, who went from challenging performance work to large public artworks inspired by engineering, passed away last week at 69 — just before the opening of his latest work at LACMA: a “kinetic airship sculpture inspired by Brazilian-born pioneer aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, widely considered the father of aviation in France.” While there check out Metropolis II and his landmark civic work Urban Light.

When: Opens May 18, 2015, runs for 4 weeks. Ode to Santos Dumont performs at 15-minute intervals several times a day and is included in the price of general admission. As with Metropolis II, visitors may access the exhibition space between performances. Performance times are as follows (no reservation required): Mondays and Thursdays: noon, 2 pm, 4 pm Fridays: 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm Saturdays and Sundays: noon, 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm

Where:  LACMA; 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles

Tickets: Included in price of admission to LACMA

Click here for more information.

1500x500

4. The Future of Visual Language 

The proliferation of emoji is just one example of how we humans are visual beings. Wanting to facilitate the wider use of language through symbols, husband and wife team Sofya Polyakov and Edward Boatman created “The Noun Project,” an open-source database of around 200,000 symbols conveying a vast array of things (and verbs), from Sequoia trees to child soldiers. This Thursday they will host a panel discussion around the topic of “The Future of Visual Language.” Ethnographer and culture analyst, Sharon Ann Lee will moderate a conversation with panelists Able Paris, visual communication artist, Maritza Yoes, Social Strategist, and Yasmin Kahn, Graphic Design Professor at OTIS.

When: Thursday May 21, 2015

Where: MakerCityLA 1933 S. Broadway 11th Floor Suite 1141 Los Angeles

Tickets: Free, but registration required. Register here. 

Click here for more information.

csm_FORUM_PoliceMiltarization_5587875f9c

5. The Militarization of America’s Police Forces

Just this Monday morning, President Obama announced a ban on “providing some military-style equipment to local departments and putting stricter controls on other weapons and gear distributed to law enforcement.” The issue of the military providing its leftover equipment to police departments across the nation has come to a head as a series of protests have broken out across the country in response to the killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Baltimore, Cleveland and other cities. The Hammer Museum is hosting a talk on the the militarization of America’s police forces this Tuesday, featuring Elizabeth Beavers, legislative associate for militarism and civil liberties at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, and former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper, “who now openly regrets the use of military-style policing during the infamous WTO riots of 1999.”

When: Tuesday May 19, 2015 7:3o PM

Where: Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum; 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles

Tickets: Tickets are required and available at the Box Office one hour before the program. One ticket per person; first come, first served. Early arrival is recommended.

Click here for more information.