This week, you can: converge at the center of the creativity and innovation economy in Los Angeles; hear Thom Mayne talk about the most important buildings of the 20th century; party to support M&A’s creative experimentation made public; participate as audience in two site-specific performances; and hear fascinating speakers on what’s going on “Under LA.”
1) InnovateLA 2017/WeHo Smart City Fest
Los Angeles celebrates its innovation with a two-week series of events. Now in its fourth year, Innovate LA 2017 features 100 countywide events drawing attention to clean-tech, arts, business, manufacturing, civic engagement and more. It is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and industry partners from fashion, tech and finance.
Events include WeHo Smart City Fest Thursday evening. DnA’s Frances Anderton, Michael Mattmiller, Francisco Contreras and Bianca Siegl will discuss how the city might “holistically weave cutting-edge technology into the fabric of the city to help address some of our more pressing urban challenges.”
Other events include a Civic Hack Night, this Tuesday, and, next Wednesday, LA CoMotion, an Expo of New Mobility & Transit Innovation; both at La Kretz Innovation Center (LACI).
When: Now through Nov. 19th
Where: Various locations throughout LA County. See complete list of events here.
Tickets: Priced by event. Many events are free or nominally priced.
restored 1963–1997. The Gamble House in Pasadena also made the list.(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)
2) Thom Mayne talks about “100 Buildings”
Even though LA architect Thom Mayne‘s work might on first impression suggest a break with tradition, he is very much concerned with precedent. On seeing rising ahistoricism in architectural education, Mayne and his colleagues at the NOW Institute at UCLA reached out to fellow architects for nominations of influential 20th century buildings in a range of scales and buildings types and then culled a top 100 from thousands of suggestions.
The resulting book, 100 Buildings: 1900-2000, published this month by Rizzoli, features nominations from over 50 prominent architects, including Richard Meier, Jeanne Gang, Peter Eisenman and the late Zaha Hadid. Needless to say, Villa Savoye made the cut. So did the Eames, Schindler and Gamble houses. On Thursday, Thom Mayne will talk about the book at a breakfast presented by Live Talks Business Forum at the offices of Gensler in downtown Los Angeles.
When: Thursday, Nov. 9, 8:15 am (Continental Breakfast at 7:45 am)
Where: Gensler, 500 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Tickets: $20 or $46 with book. You can get tickets here.
3) Materials and Applications (M & A) 2017 Gala
In 2003, Materials & Applications began with the idea that creative experimentation should take place in public space. Since then, the non-profit organization co-founded in 2003 by Jenna Didier and Oliver Hess and run by volunteer directors, artists, and architects has produced more than 20 site-specific installations that have showcased the work of designers including Warren Techentin, above. Now helmed by Jia Gu, M&A will “celebrate their inspired past and usher in a new vision for M&A’s future” at a party and fundraiser this Saturday. Enjoy cocktails by Soto Sake, music by Dublab, explore the creative headquarters of Navel in DTLA, and take home samples of work by a M&A’s latest experimental designers.
When: Saturday, Nov. 11, 5 pm
Where: Navel, 1611 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Tickets: $50, Veterans $25. You can purchase tickets here.
4) Under L.A.: Subterranean Stories
What lies beneath our Los Angeles feet? What is the connection between our terra firma and all that lies below? What can we learn about both our past and future from looking down instead of up? These are questions to be posted this Saturday at Under L.A.: Subterranean Stories, a conference to be held at the Huntington-USC Institute on California & the West (ICW).
Speakers including Robert de Groot of the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning Program, Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG, Urban Planning professor Mike Manville, culture journalist Carolina Miranda and cemetery scholar David Sloane, above, will “navigate the underworlds of L.A.’s past, present, and future… real, imagined, and metaphorical.” Organized by William F. Deverell and writer and book critic David L. Ulin, there will also be a screening of KCET’s Lost L.A. documentary on the lost tunnels of Downtown Los Angeles with host Nathan Masters.
When: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m
Where: The Doheny Memorial Library, USC University Park campus, 3550 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, California 90089.
Tickets: Free. Find more information and make reservations here.
5) Art, architecture, activism and performance at two site-specific dances
No)one. Art House Performance in the North Breezeway at Hauser & Wirth.
Immersive duet by No)one. Art House founder and choreographer Christopher Bordenave alongside guest collaborator Julia Eichten will converge in the space between audience and architecture and emerge into the many dimensions of physical and mental proximity.
Also at Hauser & Wirth this weekend, artist Sterling Ruby will lead a tour of Mike Kelley’s Kandors 1999 – 2011 exhibition currently on display.
When: Thursday, Nov 9, 8 pm
Where: Hauser & Wirth, 901 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tickets: Free.
River of Everyone River of No One
Experience a site-specific dance performance that embodies Carolina Cayedo’s River Serpent Book, a recently completed foldout book that encompasses five years of research on the significance and impact of damming rivers. Using the book as both a score and prop, the performance River of Everyone River of No One incorporates ideas about fluidity, water, containment, and environmental justice through African diaspora dance practices.
Along with Cayedo, River of Everyone River of No One was developed and will be performed by Marina Magalhães, Isis Avalos, Samad Guerra, and the participants of Decolonizing the Body Through Dance: River Edition, a workshop that convened prior at Beta Main. The performance followed by Q & A.
Please note that the museum will be closed before the performance. Doors will open at 6pm.
When: Sunday, Nov. 12, 6:30 – 8 pm (doors open at 6 pm)
Where: Main Museum, 114 W 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tickets: Free. More information here.
And if you are going out to the desert, Barbara Bestor, exhibit designer for Albert Frey & Lina Bo Bardi: A Search for Living Architecture, will join co-curators Daniell Cornell and Zeuler Lima for a discussion exploring the exhibit, its design, and the work of Albert Frey and Lina Bo Bardi. Read about the show, here.