5 design things to : Aug 10 - 16

This week: Learn what planners are doing to alleviate loneliness; display historic paintings on your home screens; visit Petersen Automotive Museum's online Car Week; hear from Anthony Poon and Michael Webb about their book Live Learn Eat; take a class in Forest Bathing.

1) Can LA design its way out of loneliness?

Loneliness was at epidemic levels in the US and many other industrial countries before the pandemic. Cars, suburban living and greater dependence for entertainment on screens, coupled with the growth of one-person households, have all contributed. COVID-19 and the shelter-in-place has only intensified a sense of isolation for many.

So this coming Tuesday, August 11, the Westside Urban Forum will “consider how the built environment, including temporary initiatives to expand outdoor dining, shopping, and physical activity during COVID, influences opportunities for social interaction. How can cities create spaces that are inclusive and designed to promote social cohesion?" DnA's Frances Anderton will join a panel of experts in planning and social wellbeing, moderated by Anita Chandra, Vice President and Director, RAND Social and Economic Well-Being.

Find out about and get tickets,here.

When: Tuesday, August, 11; 12 pm-1 pm

Where:Online, here

Cost: Suggested donation: $15 Members, $20 Nonmembers

2) Live Learn Eat: Architecture by Anthony Poon

Anthony Poon is a busy designer, a musician and a prolific writer about his life as an architect. Michael Webb has written numerous books about architecture and design, including the inspiring Building Community: New Apartment Architecture. They'll be in conversation Thursday in a one-on-one Zoom discussion about Poon and Webb’s new book, Live Learn Eat. It features a range of Poon’s designs, from attainable houses to learning environments to hospitality projects. The book is intended to show how smart design enriches the experience of living, learning -- and eating!

When: Thursday, August 13; 10:00 am

Where:Online, here

Cost: Free

3) Petersen Car Week

Celebrate cars without sitting in traffic! Starting Wednesday, you can catch 25 hours worth of automobile junkie events at Petersen Automotive Museum's online Car Week

the first virtual international event of its kind with over 25 hours of content being shown for free Wednesday, August 12th - Sunday, August 16th on the museum’s YouTube page.

With the most automotive/lifestyle events cancelled around the world, major brands like Porsche, Michelin Tire and auction houses like RM Sotheby's and others are partnering with the Petersen to share their latest vehicle debuts, live collector car auctions and more.

When: August 12th - Sunday, August 16th

Where:Online,here

Cost: Free

4) How to Use Your Phone to Virtually Display Art

You might think that old paintings and new technology have as much in common as oil and water. Well, the Getty's Iris blog has post by Erin Migdol about how to displaying classic paintings on a screen. It involves using Art Projector, an augmented reality feature available on the Google Arts & Culture app, to virtually display artworks so close that you can "examine the brushstrokes, glimpse delicate layers of color, and take time to reflect on the artist’s point of view (as well as your own)."

When: Ongoing

Where:Online, read about ithere

Cost: Free

5) Forest Bathing

There is very little as soothing and beautiful as the sheltering canopy of a leafy tree. For the Japanese, the protective tree offers a form of therapy known as Shinrin Yoku, or Forest Bathing, said to boost immune strength, reduce stress, and improve cognitive functioning. Now you can take a class in Forest Bathing at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Certified guide Ben Page offers guided invitations to finding an "authentic way of interacting with the land." During this difficult time, says the Arboretum, "many of us seek to deepen our relationship with the natural world" and Forest Bathing may be a way to do so.

When: Wednesday Evening Classes, through August 26,6 pm; Saturday Morning Classes through August 29, 8 am.

Where:301 North Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

Cost: Members, $25; non-members, $35; advance reservations required, here