City Listening, Part II

How do we really experience the city, especially one as mediated, dramatized and analyzed as Los Angeles? In its tangible, built form? Or through verbal and visual interpretations by artists…

How do we really experience the city, especially one as mediated, dramatized and analyzed as Los Angeles? In its tangible, built form? Or through verbal and visual interpretations by artists and writers? Recognizing the power of description, de LaB (Design East of La Brea, a group founded by Alissa Walker and Haily Zaki, now joined by Marissa Gluck, formerly editor at Curbed LA) has assembled City Listening II, an evening of stories about Los Angeles written and read by some of LA’s most interesting writers on design and the urban experience (from both sides of La Brea!), including: Christopher Hawthorne, John Chase, Brooke Hodge, Sam Lubell, Chris Nichols, and many more. I’ll be doing a reading as well, about what I’ve learned through “Living with Gehry.”

The event, which takes place on the Saturday evening of Dwell on Design, June 26, follows on from a very successful City Listening I at GOOD last year (see picture of John Chase holding forth, above). This year it doubles as a fundraiser for de LaB and will also feature a silent auction of art and design work, food and drinks, and, says Alissa, plenty of surprises and special guests! If it is as good as last year, when Alissa wowed the audience with her poetic riff on starchitects, and John Chase had people in stitches with his salacious take on urban living, this event is a must. And if you are a DnA listener you can receive 20% off all tickets with the code: dwell.