Design and Architecture
A Bridge to the Imagination
Mayor Villaraigosa on rebuilding the iconic 6th Street Bridge. Plus, lessons from a cardboard arcade, taking chairs back to the basics, and retro in the age of Instagram.
By Frances Anderton • • 28m ListenThe iconic 6th Street Bridge has to be rebuilt, and the City has announced a worldwide quest for a visionary designer. Hear about it from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Gary Lee Moore and Alex Ward. Plus, James Rojas and Jay Griffith on lessons from a cardboard arcade; Michael Boyd on taking chairs back to the basics; and Charles Phoenix, Ambassador of Americana, on being retro in the age of Instagram.
Banner image: Arial view of the existing 6th Street Viaduct, looking north along the LA River. Photo courtesy of the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering
In this episode
4 storiesRedesigning LA's Sixth Street Viaduct
The Sixth Street Viaduct, connecting Los Angeles's downtown to the neighborhood of Boyle Heights, is a historic structure designed eighty years ago by Merrill Butler of LA’s Bureau of Engineering. But the structure is crumbling and has to be rebuilt.
Read the story10 minDesign Lessons from Caine's Arcade
You've no doubt seen a popular video for Caine's Arcade that ran circles around the web last week. Beyond inspiring an amazing good luck story for the internet age, Caine Monroy’s now famous cardboard arcade also offers up an essential design lesson, says urban planner James Rojas.
Read the story4 minContemporary Updates of Modern Masters
Michael Boyd is a musician, designer and collector in Modernist furniture and architecture. He recently decided to design his own variant on chairs and tables created by the 20th century Modernist masters he loves. Later this month, he will display his Plane series at Edward Cella Art and Architecture Gallery in the Miracle Mile.
Read the story5 minWhat Does the Instagram Sale Mean for Retro Culture?
Last week saw an astounding billion dollars being paid for an app that can give a retro look to camera-phone photos. Instagram , a small startup, was bought by tech behemoth Facebook . Charles Phoenix, a cult figure who collects and builds performances around actual retro photos of Americana, helps to process the cultural significance of the…
Read the story9 min