This week, you can: celebrate sister cities and their iconic music halls; support SCI-Arc’s vision while honoring visionary designers; get a ringside seat at a great American battle over development; consider architecture in the larger urban context of infrastructure, ecology, and civic engagement; and shop till you drop for mid-century modern or folk art, depending on your taste.
1 ) Berlin/Los Angeles: Space for Music
If Frank Gehry has a touchstone for his Walt Disney Concert Hall (built 1999–2003), it is Hans Scharoun’s Berlin Philharmonic (Berliner Philharmonie, built 1960–1963). Both buildings feature a “vineyard style” plan, where the seating surrounds the stage, rising up in serried rows in a manner that creates an intimate connection between performer and audience. Both captured the public’s imagination and become signature features of the landscape of each city. The relationship between the two is explored in an exhibition at the Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center, curated by Maristella Casciato, senior curator of architectural collections for the GRI. Berlin/Los Angeles: Space for Music focuses on the buildings’ extraordinary interiors and exteriors, through original drawings, sketches, prints, photographs, and models. This exhibition also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the sister-city partnership between Berlin and Los Angeles by exploring two iconic buildings.
When: Tuesday, April 25 – Sunday April 30
Where: The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Tickets: Free and open to the public. More information here.
2 ) SCI – Arc: Main Event 13
SCI-Arc’s MAIN EVENT marks the opening of the school’s 10th Annual Spring Show Exhibition with a reception to raise funds for SCI-Arc’s Scholarship Endowment Fund. The school will honor co-founder Thom Mayne (Morphosis) and Merry Norris (Merry Norris Contemporary Art) for their “extraordinary contributions to SCI-Arc and to Los Angeles.” Treats for attendees include bespoke “3D printed” confections by alumni Liz and Kyle von Hasseln (M.Arch ’12) and an immersive VR demonstration presented by SCI-Arc faculty and students. Musical by Adam Bravin, also known as DJ Adam 12 and half of the duo She Wants Revenge.
When: Friday, April 28, 7 – 11 pm
Where: SCI-Arc, 960 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, 90013
Tickets: This is a fundraiser for SCI-Arc, $150 and up. Get tickets here.
3 ) Screening and Director Q & A: Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City tells the story of Jane Jacobs, urban activist and author of the classic book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” and her battle with the super-powerful planner/”master builder” Robert Moses in 1950s and 60s New York City. Director Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor), portrays how Jacobs—a journalist with provincial origins, no formal training in city planning and scarce institutional authority—led community opposition to Moses’ sweeping urban renewal plans. He also looks at the explosive growth of Asian cities today. He will participate in a Q & A at the screening.
When: Friday, April 28, 7:30 pm, Saturday, April 29, 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 30, 2:50 pm Click here for additional showtimes.
Where: Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, 90025
Tickets: $11. Get tickets for Q & A here.
ALSO airing April 28 on ABC: John Ridley’s new documentary Let It Fall. Of the many documentaries being released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 1992 L.A. uprising, this takes a step back, literally, going back to the root causes of the unrest that he dates to 1982, and unfolding as a series of very personal decisions and very public failures. The film weaves first hand accounts from “black, white, Asian, and Hispanic Angelenos of all classes, caught up in a cascade of rising tensions culminating in an explosion of anger and fear after the Rodney King verdict.” Details here.
4 ) In The Gutter: Amplified Urbanism at SL11024
Join this discussion and book launch celebrating “Amplified Urbanism,” a new publication by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects. “Amplified Urbanism” situates O’Herlihy’s work within the larger urban context of Los Angeles, and features essays by critics and journalists who examine the city in the broadest sense via infrastructure, ecology, and civic engagement. The panel of guests will include two of the publication’s contributing authors, Judith Lewis Mernit and Greg Goldin; architect Lorcan O’Herlihy; and Kevin Keller, Deputy Director of City Planning, City of Los Angeles.
When: Saturday, April 29, 3 – 5 pm
Where: SL11024 Apartments, 11024 Strathmore Drive, Los Angeles, 90024
Tickets: $15 (Members free). RSVP and tickets here.
5) Shopping Sunday: 2 Events
~Spring Marketplace at CAFAM
Just in time for Mother’s Day, find unique contemporary jewelry, art, textiles, ceramics, chocolates and more. Stop by for something wonderfully unexpected.
When: Sunday, April 30, 11 am – 5 pm
Where: Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90036
Tickets: Free. More information here.
~Downtown Modernism
This bi-annual event features five acres of Mid-Century Modern furniture and objects by local dealers, shops, and collectors. Plus, don’t miss the performance art of furniture! If you haven’t had a chance to see these historic processes in action, you can watch as Modernica’s technicians create authentic Fiberglass Shell Chairs on the original machines that Zenith Plastics used to create the first line of Fiberglass chairs in the 1950s. Specialty food and drink vendors will keep you energized.
When: Sunday, April 30, 8 am – 2 pm
Where: Modernica Factory and surrounding area, 2901 Saco St., Los Angeles, CA 90058
Tickets: $8. More information here.