Here are 5 Design Things for you to do this week in the Southland.
1. The Making of An Avant-Garde, a film by Diana Agrest
Architectural thinking in the late 1980s was dominated by New York’s Peter Eisenman, who famously applied “Derridean” post-structuralist theory to buildings. Before that he had launched himself as a thinker and player in the architecture world with the 1967 founding of the influential Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, closed in 1985 but then reopened in 2003. In this film, one of its alumni, architect and professor Diana Agrest has examined the history and impact of the think-tank now known as The Institute.
Note: On Thursday February 20, at 7:00 PM at the MAK Center Diana Agrest will lead a discussion on the “theoretical concerns of the Institute and the role of women in its intellectual activities.” That event is also free and open to the public.
When: Wednesday February 19; 7:30 PM
Where: Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum; 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
2. Materials & Applications: Building Something (Beyond) Beautiful, Projects 2002 – 2013
If 1970s New York had The Institute, LA in the ‘oughts had Materials & Applications. This outdoor exhibition space in Silver Lake, founded by Jenna Didier, has served as a launchpad for a new generation of designers and architects exploring new ideas about space, form and materials in M&A’s twice-yearly exhibits and outdoor workshops. Now Cal State Long Beach takes a look back at 11 years of experiments that have has taken place at Materials & Applications by the likes of Ball Nogues, Oyler Wu, Rob Ley, Ingalil Wahlroos-Ritter and Matthew Melnyk, and many more.
Click here for more information.
When: Exhibition runs from January 25- April 13, 2014 (Note– year on banner an error)
Where: University Art Museum at CalState Long Beach; 1250 N Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
3. V/S Presents the Neutra Furniture Collection
Austrian émigré Richard Neutra did not just design stringent Modernist houses for his LA clients; he also designed furniture. Now VS America Inc., the subsidiary of VS Germany, a furniture company that dates back to the Bauhaus, will present its reissued Neutra collection — designed in collaboration with Neutra’s son Dion — at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum this Thursday.
When: Thursday February 20, 2014 6:00-9:00PM
Where: A+D Museuem
Tickets: Contact A+D Museum for more information.
4. StimULI Breakfast: Can L.A.’s Streets Be Great?
Wake up bright and early for a breakfast and discussion on the future of L.A.’s streets. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced his Great Streets Initiative last October, and panelists will discuss how this initiative aimed at improving pedestrian and cyclist conditions around L.A. will affect businesses and the quality of life in L.A. Presented by the Urban Land Institute at Gensler’s striking office space in downtown, the discussion will include city officials and L.A. transportation reporters.
Click here for more information.
When: Wednesday February 19 7:30 AM-9:00 AM
Where: Gensler; 500 South Figueroa St, Los Angeles
Tickets: $60 for non-members. (various prices, click link for full price info) Click here for tickets.
5. Palm Springs Modernism Week
KCRW takes Palm Springs this coming weekend, when DnA’s Frances Anderton and Press Play’s Madeleine Brand join Modernism Week to discuss living in mid-century modern apartment buildings.
And DnA’s Danielle Rago and Maura Lucking are among the creators of the latest On The Road project: a series of four spatial installations that consider the liquid space of swimming pools, hosted at The Amado pool in Palm Springs. Rago says that whether “swimming, floating, sinking, or hovering on the surface,” each pool will be a thoroughly curated installation around various ideas and themes developed and deployed by a group of LA-based architects, artists, and designers, including Katie Yeh Chiu, Kathryn Shehan, Matthew Sullivan, Benedikt Groß, Joseph K. Lee; Terry Chatkupt, Mark Lyons, and Peter Vikar.
When: Events daily until February 23, 2014
Where: Various locations in Palm Springs, CA