Artsy Summer: Hammer Museum

On a whim I decided to take public transportation to the Westside, so my visit to the Hammer Museum began well before I got there. The journey took about 90 minutes -- fine if one has that kind of time, which I did that day, but not fine for any regular type of commute. Since I would've taken the freeway had I driven, I enjoyed seeing the city as we traversed one of its arterial thoroghfares (Venice Blvd). Here's the point of view from the inside looking...in:

I'd only been to the Hammer once before, for a work-related symposium which confined me largely to the auditorium. Heading there this time, I was impressed once again at the building itself: stripes are in this season. In grey and white, no less. With tons of windows.

Sing Your Favorite Book was a less formal event than expected: one guy, sing/reading from a book, in the gallery containing the Ed Ruscha exhibit. The website informs us that

The Hammer Museum’s Public Engagement program seeks to create a new kind of interactive museum: an artist-driven visitor engagement program that encourages contact among visitors, artists, and Museum staff, and activates spaces in imaginative ways.

which is great. However, there isn't sufficient information about the concept of Sing Your Favorite Book for anyone to gain any insight or connection to the exhibit. How is the visitor's engagement with or appreciation of the artists (in this case, Ruscha and Kerouac) heightened by the singing? How does the visitor engage with the singer other than to watch them sing (which detracts from the art, right)? Or is the singer engaging with the art? Or with the viewer? I didn't really get it. So I moved on to the other galleries.

Having done with that (particularly struck by a Van Gogh and a Cezanne that were unusual in style compared to both artists' oeuvres), the emergence to the outdoor corridors was met with the sound of stringed instruments, which, when followed around a corner or two, led to the Disassembled Strings Ensemble. In this Public Engagement project,

a string quartet will attempt to perform together while interspersed around the museum terraces.

"Interspersed around the museum terraces" turned out to be at the four corners of the outdoor lounge area, which is different (in a less disassembled way) than I'd imagined it would be. But I didn't mind finding a seat in the cross-section of those sounds. I might have even slipped into a micronap, I was so relaxed.

After the museum visit, the beautiful day was by no means wasted. Lunch was eaten al fresco and followed by a walk through UCLA's MEM Botanical Garden, where the lotus were never found, but some other specimens were in abundance:

 
I ended up carpooling back home with Jax, after which we went to the farmers market, after which I went to dinner with friends.  It was a long yet lovely day. *exhale*

Artsy Summer: LTDW

Hitoshi Abe is the chair of UCLA's department of Architecture and Urban Design. Since he came a few years ago, my office has worked with him on design forums and events having to do with Japan. Little Tokyo Design Week is his brainchild, conceived two years ago; it came to life this weekend in an extravaganza of artsy and Japanese-y events with the theme of "Future City," to "celebrate the power and energy of cutting-edge design and technology."

I opted to attend Saturday's symposium, entitled, "Ultra Exposure," instead of the Beauty CULTure exhibition over on the Westside, in fear of "Carmageddon" (which proved unfounded despite ALL the hype), and found it at once enlightening, engaging, and entertaining. I enjoy architectural discourse but admit that it's quite abstract -- or, rather more simply, highfalutin' (as in: the future is invisible; traces of presentness; utopia vs. dystopia; the spectacle of the spectacular, etc).

Luckily I got to go to the VIP reception at the JACCC Japanese Garden, where I got to talk a bit to one of the speakers, whose paper I found fascinating.  He spoke about the Japanese and loss of ideals and purpose, which created a postwar society that's mostly based on economic and material gain.  I think there are a lot of truths to that argument and find it interesting that a Japanese would make such a sweeping statement about his own national identity.  I also agree that the 3/11 earthquake and current recovery efforts will truly shake that staus quo and that a new Japan will emerge from the rubble.  I usually wouldn't approach someone, but speaker or professor or architect or whatever, a person is still a person, so I gathered up the pluck and started talking; it was a neat experience.

Various exhibits were housed in container pods throughout Little Tokyo. I only went to one: Tokyo/LA Houses, upon the recommendation of one of my co-workers. It was a showcase of residential architectural design that included photographs, floor plans, and models of a lot of different homes -- from large spaces in the Palisades overlooking the ocean to homes in Venice to small-scale homes in Tokyo, to a tower-shaped home in the woods to a bi-level cut into the side of a mountain. It was all glorious -- as in, one day I hope to live in such a space!

When the sun went down I met up with M+M (who had driven up from SD to see Les Miserables with some friends) and we all went sake tasting. I had a few interesting, new-to-me beers, including Echigo red ale and stout and Coedo's sweet potato beer. By the time we were done with the sampling of 10 or more beers and sake, we were ready for karaoke: always a good way to end an evening out in Little Tokyo. I tried my hand (voice?!) at Taylor Swift and Jason Mraz songs but also kept it to the regular standbys, Mr. Brightside and Dancing Queen.

A productive evening on all counts (professional, academic, social, vocal) -- with another busy day ahead!  Good thing I get Monday off.

Artsy Summer: Huntington Library

I'm trying to do this Artsy Summer as economically as possible, so have a keen eye to coordinating my schedule with free days. Luckily, I had hoarded guest passes to the Huntington Library over the years I had membership there and was able to bypass the $20 admission when I headed back last weekend.

It was a full day which involved exploring the gardens in the morning (where I learned better about the iPhone's HDR capability), bringing a blanket and packing a lunch (turkey BLT with avocado + fruit salad), then ducking inside for exhibits to escape the sun at its hottest.

[lily ponds]

Some of the permanent exhibitions are oldies but goodies: printing (illuminated manuscripts, hello!); Blue Boy, Pinkie, silverware by Paul Revere. I snapped a shot of a corner of a painting that was most charming:

[little knitting hands]

The newer stuff is exciting, too: astronomy, Darwin, the human body, electricity, etc.. With a ton of interactive displays, like a telescope, early microscope, and pop-up and flip-through images. The electricity section has, in addition to an impressive lot of light bulbs, a cool filament string light fixture at the center of the room:

[lights, looking up]

The visit gas made me consider restarting my membership. Maybe I'll do it in time to see the reopening of the Japanese garden next spring. If not, I've still got some guest passes to last a few more visits. Hooray for hoarding!

California Science Center

 riving to LA from OC doesn't happen so often for me, so when the day came for the trek, I wanted to make the most of it.  My good friend works at the California Science Center and gave us the best hook-up -- lucky!

There were a lot of tourists and families at the CSC, but we arrived about 15 minutes before closing.  We walked around just a couple of sights, more observing and enjoying the space more than anything else.  When the center closed, we got a private tour of the exhibitions, which are very interactive and well-done.  It was such a treat to explore everything on our own!

[california science center, front]

I enjoyed having my picture taken on a fake camel in the Egyptian technologies exhibit, and in the Living Trees one I got to dress up as a squirred (the costume was a bit tight on me since it is intended for children).  Here's one under the infrared device.  There's a switch that activates heat lamps, which change how you look on the screen.  Very cool!

[me in infrared]

The grand finale was some time hanging out in the aquarium -- which is really for kelp harvesting.  You can look up and see to the outside of the building!  I liked watching and snapping pictures of the school of sardines.  This is one of the 20 or so pictures I took.

[csc aquarium]

The last time I came to Exposition Park was probably in elementary school.  It was fun to 'rediscover' it again.  Now I'd like to come back and visit the Natural History and Aerospace Museums.  Anyone up for a field trip?!