5 Design Things to do This Week

Written by

The Oscar-nominated costume and production designers show off their stuff, nature-themed sculptures made with LEGOs, redesigning a downtown park, and Mozart plus art — that’s all this week in design events

Costume1)  24th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design

Costume design is one of the few aspects of movie magic you can experience in the flesh, because costumes from every one of the movies nominated in the Academy Awards’ Best Costume category are on display at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in downtown, in their 24th annual The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design. This year’s exhibition features more than 100 costumes representing 24 of 2015’s notable films including costumes designed by Academy nominees Sandy Powell (Carol and Cinderella), Jacqueline West (The Revenant), Paco Delgado (The Danish Girl) and Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road).

Listen up to Tuesday’s DnA for interviews with Sandy Powell and with FIDM curator and costume historian Kevin Jones.
When: Through  April 30, 2016, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm (also open Monday, February 29 and closed Friday, March 4.)

Where: FIDM Museum, 919 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Tickets: Admission Free to the public; click here for more information.

Photo by Kimberly French of a set in The Revenant, which has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including Best Achievement in Production Design.
Photo by Kimberly French of a set in The Revenant, which has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including Best Achievement in Production Design. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

2) Oscar-Nominated Production Design Panel

This is a great opportunity to hear from leading LA production designers. The Art Directors Guild and the Set Decorators Society of America are presenting a panel discussion with this year’s Academy Award-nominated production designers and set decorators: Bridge of Spies (Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich); Mad Max: Fury Road (Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson); The Danish Girl (Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish); The Martian (Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak); The Revenant (Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy).

When: Saturday, February 27, 2016 from 3 pm to 5 pm

Where: Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028

Tickets:  Free to the public.  RSVP is highly recommended but does not guarantee seating.  Priority entrance/seating is given to members of the Art Directors and Set Decorators Guilds (bring your guild card with you). Arrive one hour prior to show time. Click here for more information.

A hummingbird and flower made of Lego bricks created by Sean Kenney, now on display at South Coast Botanic Garden.

3) Nature Connects: Art with LEGO bricks by Sean Kenney

Plastic is typically the last thing you want to see in a botanic garden, except when the plastic is half a million LEGO bricks that have been transformed into 27 gorgeous, nature-themed sculptures by New York artist Sean Kenney. They are currently on show at South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes; the exhibition, called Nature Connects: Art with LEGO bricks, by Sean Kenney, is traveling the US.

The garden is also hosting a LEGO building contest from now until this Saturday.

When: Through May 8, 2016.  Daily 9 am – 5 pm; LEGO building contest through February 27

Where: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd, Palos Verdes Peninsula, 90274

Tickets: Adults $9, Seniors/Students $6, Children (5-12) $4, Toddlers (4 and under) free. Advance tickets highly recommended. Purchase tickets here.

FAB
Renderings of conceptual designs by (clockwise from top left): Brooks + Scarpa, AECOM, Mia Lehrer and Associates, Eric Owen Moss (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

4)  Help design YOUR city park:  FAB Park Needs Your Input

You may have heard of the design competition for Pershing Square. But how about FAB, otherwise known as First and Broadway? That’s a new park to be built on the southeast corner of First and Broadway in downtown, adjacent to Grand Park and City Hall.  Models and drawings of conceptual schemes for the park are currently on display through February 29th in the lobby of 201 North Figueroa and the Bureau of Engineering is looking for public input into the design.

Shortlisted teams are:  Mia Lehrer + Associates, AECOM, Brooks + Scarpa, and Eric Owen Moss. Go online to send comments via email. The winning scheme is expected to be announced by the end of February or early March 2016 and then the city will hold more outreach events.

When:  Through February 29

Where: Figueroa Plaza, 201 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, 90012

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

MagicFlute5) The Magic Flute 

Sumptuous sets add to the enchantment of LA Opera’s staging of Mozart’s celebration of true love conquering all, The Magic Flute. Conducted by James Conlon with staging by Director Barrie Kosky and with the British theater group “1927;” sets are designed by Esther Bialas. Four performances of this production remain.

When: February 24 and March 2 at 7:30 pm; February 28 and March 6 at 2 pm

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012

Tickets:  $99-$299. Buy Tickets.