DnA’s Guide to Dwell On Design and the Los Angeles Design Festival

Your guide to Dwell On Design and the LA Design Festival from DnA.

Design enthusiasts, get your energy drinks on, as the next two weeks are going to be busy — with the advent of Dwell On Design and the Los Angeles Design Festival.

Dwell On Design (DOD), the 3-day Modern design trade show and conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center, kicks off this Friday — with a keynote by Dutch product designer Marcel Wanders, no less.

The Los Angeles Design Festival (LADF), 50 design events taking place across the region over two weeks, kicks off Thursday night and runs through June 14. LADF’s talks, exhibitions and tours are independently produced but presented collectively as a showcase for LA’s creative economy.

Below are DnA’s picks of just some of the many events that will be taking place in coming weeks.

1. The Rise; Building in Downtown LA

Twenty-five years ago downtown LA was a ghost-town. Now it’s an unstoppable urban juggernaut, bringing questions about how to maintain its older charms along with the new. Join planners, designers and downtown players Peter Zellner, Hal Bastian, Gee-ghid Tse, Nicolas Marachich and Tarrah Beebe, in conversation with DnA’s Frances Anderton at a panel Sunday morning, hosted by the Association of Women in Architecture, taking place at Dwell on Design. You will automatically gain entry to DOD on signing up for this event.

When: Sunday May 31 10:00 AM

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center; 1201 S Figueroa Street Los Angeles

Tickets: Click here to register.

Click here for more information.

2. Eichler and the Future of Midcentury Modern Architecture

Steven Eichler, principal of Eichler Designs, founder of Eichler Living, and grandson of the famed midcentury developer Joseph Eichler will share his insights on his grandfather’s designs, the allure of mid-century modern architecture, and how to build dignifying homes for the masses in the future.

When: Friday, May 29 1:30 PM

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center; 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles

Tickets: Click here to register.

Click here for more information.

3. River Makers Bash

Drink, dance, and check out custom installations at the River Makers Bash, an outdoor nighttime celebration on Mission Street by the LA River. Music by dub lab. Hosted by LADF in collaboration with the LA chapters of AIA, APA, ASCE, ASLA, and the LA Forum.

When: Saturday May 30, 2015 8:00 PM

Where: 251 South Mission Road, Los Angeles

Tickets: $30; Click here for tickets.

Click here for more information.

4. Intro/LA

A new addition to the design mart mania in LA is Intro/LA, a 3-day fair showcasing local designers (including Brendan Ravenhill and KillSpencer) alongside larger, contract firms, several of which are from Britain (including the veteran Anglepoise, in image above, and William Plunkett). It is produced by Paul Valentine of British company smallpond and takes place in the historic Mack Sennett studios in Silver Lake.

When: May 29 – 31, 2015

Where: Mack Sennett Studios; 1215 Bates Avenue, Los Angeles

Tickets: Free and open to the public.

Click here for more information.

5. Intimate Formations by Arik Levy, at Please Do Not Enter

Intimate Formations is the first West coast solo exhibition for the Israeli born and Paris-based artist and designer Arik Levy. The exhibition, taking place at Please Do Not Enter (sponsors of Projection, the whitewashed Bates Motel project) will feature 25 artworks, including large-scale sculpture, wall mounted pieces, neon sculptures and paintings.

When: Thursday May 28, 2015 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Where: Please Do Not Enter,549 S Olive Street, Los Angeles (parking in PacMutual Building)

Tickets: RSVP to PLEASEDONOTENTER@LYNWINTER.COM

Click here for more information.

6. CityAge: Build the Future

The number of people living in cities is expected to increase from 3.8 billion to more than 6 billion by 2050. So how we build — and rebuild — cities will shape the future. That’s the premise for the next edition of CityAge, a networking event and gathering of city leaders and businesspeople exploring “the investments, partnerships and ideas that are shaping our urban century.” Get in there if you want to glad-hand some of the people shaping the rise of downtown LA.

When: Thursday and Friday May 28 and 29, 2015

Where: 538 S Flower St, Los Angeles

Tickets: Click here to register.

Click here for more information.

7. Beyond Graffiti 2/Bye-bye to A+D’s Miracle Mile Location

Say goodbye with a splash to A+D Museum‘s Wilshire Boulevard location, being vacated for demolition to make way for the Purple Line Metro station. They will mark the occasions with a party Saturday night and then move to a new space in downtown LA. But the vestiges of its final show in Mid-Wilshire, the markings on the walls by the artists featured in Beyond Graffiti 2, will remain until the wrecking ball swings.

When: Saturday, May 29, 2015; 6 -9PM

Where: 6032 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles 90036

Tickets: Click here to register.

Click here for more information.

8. LA Design Festival City Design Tours

LA Design Festival is hosting two City Design Tours this year, one exploring the most interesting design studios of fast re-emerging Inglewood; the other checking out the mainstays and newcomers in Historic Downtown (an area that embraces the jewelry district, and Broadway’s old movie palaces and department stores), the Arts District, Chinatown and Olvera Street. Each tour explores three to four locations, and ends at a local watering hole.

Downtown Los Angeles

When: Saturday, May 30, 2015 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Where: Meeting location will be provided to those who purchase tickets.

Tickets: $20; Click here for tickets.

Click here for more information.

Inglewood

When: Saturday June 6, 2015 2:00-6:00 PM

Where: Meeting location will be provided to those who purchase tickets.

Tickets: $20; Click here for tickets.

Click here for more information.

**TICKET GIVEAWAY AND GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT DOD AND LADF** BOTH GIVEAWAYS ARE OVER.

Dwell on Design LA 2015

Dwell On Design, the 3-day Modern design trade show and conference, kicks off this Friday — with a keynote by Dutch product designer Marcel Wanders, no less — at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

We have five pairs of tickets to giveaway BY TUESDAY MAY 27 (NOW GONE!).

Send us (dna@kcrw.org) your first name, last name and email, along with a reason why you want to attend DOD.

When: Friday, May 29, from 10am to 7pm; Saturday, May 30, from 10am to 6pm ; Sunday, May 31, from 10am to 5pm

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center; 1201 S Figueroa Street Los Angeles

Tickets: Click here to register.

Click here for more information.

The Los Angeles Design Festival

The Los Angeles Design Festival, 50 design events taking place across the region over two weeks, kicks off with an opening party Thursday night.

This party is sold out but we have three pairs of tickets to give away. (NOW GONE!)

Send us (dna@kcrw.org) your first name, last name and email, along with a reason why you want to attend the opening party.

When: May 28 — June 14, 2015

Where: Multiple locations

Tickets: Click here to register.

Click here for more information.