Your week in design events from DnA.

1. Esotouric Takes You on a South L.A. Road Trip: Hot Rods, Adobes, Googie & Early Modernism
Esotouric heads south for a bus tour through Vernon, Bell Gardens, Santa Fe Springs and Downey, taking in lesser-known landmarks of the city’s history and culture including Rancho San Antonio (1840), The Clarke Estate (Irving Gill, 1920), Canning Hardware, Harvey’s Broiler (1958/2008) and the Ed “Big Daddy” Roth studio (1950s), a “modest stretch of Slauson Avenue was ground zero for Southern California high performance and hot rod culture.” For more on Socal’s Modern history, check out this webinar by Alan Hess, historian of Googie, ranch houses, Frank Lloyd Wright and more, launching Tuesday, June 29, at 12pm.
When: Sunday August 3rd, 2014
Where: The Daily Dose; 1820 Industrial St., Los Angeles
Tickets: $58; Click here for tickets.
Click here for more information.
2. Uniqlo Pop Ups
This has been a year for Angeleno fans of affordable Japanese style. First Muji put down anchor in Hollywood and Santa Monica (DnA overheard one witty customer refer to the emporium of minimalist basics as “spiritual Gap”); now Uniqlo is here, in pop-up stores that have opened in Costa Mesa and Santa Monica and, this Thursday, in Beverly Hills. According to the company, Uniqlo “embraces both shun and kino-bi. Shun means ‘timing, best timing, but also at the same time it’s a trend,’ something that’s updated and just in time, neither early nor late. . . Kino-bi means function and beauty, joined together: the clothing is presented in an organized, rational manner, and that very organization and rationality creates an artistic pattern and rhythm.”
When: July 31, 2014
Where: 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles
Tickets: N/A
Click here for more information.
3. Sci Fi Double Feature at Grand Park
Grand Park continues its eclectic programming with four Saturdays of Sci Fi double bills under the stars; the first, on August 2, pairs Monsters V Aliens with the brilliant Wall-E. Bring your own picnic or feast at the food trucks that will be in attendance. And this Wednesday, dignitaries will officially break ground for the next phase of Grand Park, a children’s play area designed by the park’s architect Rios Clementi Hale.
When: August 2, 9, 16, 23, 2014; Doors open at 5:30pm. First screening at sundown; second screening at 11pm
Where: Grand Park, 227 N Spring St, Los Angeles
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
4. Mobile Homestead at MOCA
Monday is your last chance to see MOCA’s bumper retrospective of work by the late Mike Kelley. While at the Geffen, check out Mobile Homestead, a full scale replica of Kelley’s childhood home designed to host social services and community initiatives before returning to its permanent home at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Above, this video was created by Art Center College of Design to honor Mike Kelley, a longtime faculty member at the school; alumni Pae White, Jennifer Steinkamp, Diana Thater and Jean Rasenberger reflect on the impact he had on their creative lives and a generation of LA artists.
When: Runs until July 28, 2014
Where: The Geffen Contemporary; 152 N Central Ave, Los Angeles
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
Boom editor Jon Christensen moderates a series of panels on water in California — its history, the struggles around it and how we adapt to a possibly drier future. On Thursday he will talk about “Water Wars,” “the people and struggles that have made our water systems cleaner, healthier, safer for all, from Mono Lake to South and East L.A.,” with Mark Gold, Elsa Lopez, Mary Pardo, and Ed Reyes. On the following Thursday, August 7, DnA’s Frances Anderton will join Christensen, Christopher Hawthorne and others for Some Like It Hot, a discussion about how to survive and thrive in a hotter L.A.. On Friday, July 8, there will be a free screening of the Patagonia movie Damnation.
When: July 31st, 2014; August 7, 2014; 6:30 pm: Doors open (please use North Entrance); 7 pm: Discussion, followed by Q&A
Where: Natural History Museum
Tickets: $10 Nonmember/$8 Members – purchase here.