This week: see dance that explores sculpture, architecture and spatial design; enjoy the work of modernist illustrators; hear about cutting-edge apartment architecture from around the world; support creative women through music and art; and ring in spring at a Nowruz (Iranian New Year) celebration.
1 ) Trisha Brown Dance Company: In Plain Site Los Angeles
Trisha Brown began her career in the post-modern dance movement by looking at the extraordinary in the everyday. This week she takes on sculpture, architecture and spatial design in a weeklong series of performances at The Broad, J. Paul Getty Museum, LACMA and Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, produced by CAP UCLA (Center for the Art of Performance).
‘Trisha Brown: In Plain Site Los Angeles’ “reframes Brown’s exploration of sculpture, architecture and spatial design by mining and recombining seminal choreographies from her groundbreaking repertoire in response to each site,” and kicks off Monday night with a conversation at the Broad between architect Liz Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, art historian Susan Rosenberg and CAP UCLA Artistic and Executive Director Kristy Edmunds exploring Trisha Brown’s influence on architecture.
When: Full week of events March 6-12. See schedule of events here.
Where: Various locations. See location by event here.
Tickets: $15 and up. See specific events.
2 ) New Modernist Art in Land of Enchantment
Defining the California Modernist spirit for the 21st century, Land of Enchantment features the illustration work of Patrick Hruby, Loris Lora, Ellen Surrey and Alexander Vidal. Art Center College of Design says “the bold and playful artworks are a new form of illustration in partnership with technology and its limitless possibilities,” while paying homage to the legendary American Modernist, Alexander Girard. Visitors will experience “illustration as environment, since the work adopts an unexpected scale and plays with mood and emotion on multiple surfaces such as products, interiors and as home décor.”
When: Opening Reception Wednesday March 8, 5 – 8 pm. Exhibit runs through August 19.
Where: Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall, Art Center College of Design South Campus, 870 S. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105
Tickets: Free and open to the public. Find more information here.
3 ) Michael Webb Discussion and Book Signing “Building Community: New Apartment Architecture”
In much of the world, multi-occupancy architecture has been about maximizing building efficiency. But should architecturally distinctive living be reserved for people with big budgets and the chance to build their dream home? In his book “Building Community: New Apartment Architecture,” Michael Webb makes the case for distinctive apartment design at every income level. He reviews some of the historical gems that defied the standard and looks at 30 exemplary recent and on-going projects. Buildings range from social housing and micro apartments to “vertical villages,” megastructures, and luxury high-rises. The movement for better apartment living is contextualized in interviews with contemporary masters of apartment design including Michael Maltzan, Lorcan O’Herlihy, Édouard François, and Bjarke Ingels. Michael will sign copies of his book at Hennessey & Ingalls in DTLA this Saturday.
Listen to an interview with Michael Webb and architect Lorcan O’Herlihy on Tuesday’s DnA.
When: Saturday, March 11, 3 – 4:30 pm
Where: Hennessey & Ingalls, 300 S Santa Fe Ave M, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tickets: Free and open to the public. Find more information here.
4 ) 3rd Annual Las Photos Project “Viva La Muxer” Art & Music Festival
Held in honor of Women’s History Month, Viva La Muxer is an art and music festival featuring an all women line-up of visual artists, musicians, and spoken word performers, food vendors, art workshops, and more. The event’s theme is Mother Earth, and it will benefit Las Fotos Project, a community-based nonprofit organization that provides teenage girls with photography mentoring programs designed to build their self-confidence, connect them with their community, and teach them the importance of advocating for social change.
When: Saturday, March 11, 5 – 11 pm
Where: Plaza de la Raza, 3540 North Mission Road, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Tickets: $10-$25. Get tickets here.
5) 9th Annual Nowruz (Iranian New Year) Festival
Nowruz, or Iranian New Year, celebrates the arrival of spring with joy and cheer, family and friends, fabulous food and colorful, artistic displays of the symbols of the festival. Nowruz translates to “new day” in Farsi and is symbolic of rebirth in nature. This year Farhang Foundation‘s annual day of celebration of Nowruz takes place at UCLA, with cultural programming including musical performances, Iranian dance, children’s activities, an annual Iranian costume parade open to all ages and a Grand Haft Sin Display in the center of Dickson Court. See a table laden with items used as symbols of spring and renewal, such as colorfully painted eggs, representing fertility, and goldfish swimming in a bowl. The day concludes with a musical performance in Royce Hall by renowned artist Mohsen Namjoo, hailed as “the Bob Dylan of Iran” by The New York Times.
When: Sunday, March 12, noon-8 pm
Where: UCLA campus, Dickson Court North and South Halls and Royce Hall
Tickets: Dickson Court events are outside and unticketed. For Mohsen Namjoo performance at Royce Hall, get tickets here, $25-$150.