Alissa WalkerThis is the sixth and final installment of our Pacific Standard Time Presents diary, tracking modern architecture happenings all over the city during the Getty's big initiative. Check out our previous entries:
*The Getty's Big, New Exploration of L.A. Architecture
*SCI-Arc's Gala and a Concert at Jackie Treehorn's House
*Everything Loose Will Land, A+D and Machine Project
Gehry's Back at MOCA; LACMA's Black Blob
Previously, on Pacific Standard Time Presents…
Pardon my Days of Our Lives tone, but it would be an understatement to say that my last diary was a bit of a cliffhanger. Over at MOCA's “A New Sculpturalism” exhibit, Frank Gehry was out, then he was back in. Thom Mayne apparently hijacked Christopher Mount's curatorial role. And those who showed up for the opening were greeted with odd branding (really, can anyone read that sign?) and darkened galleries more fitting for a haunted house — apparently there is not enough money to light the show.
Still, everyone agrees the show is absolutely worth a visit, especially for the incredibly intricate models by Lorcan O'Herlihy's and Hagy Belzberg's firms, or the freaky-tweaky pavilions of Tom Wiscombe and Elena Manferdini. There are plenty of upcoming events featuring many of the architects talking about the show, but for a deeper look, read the LA Weekly review by Tibby Rothman, who delivers perhaps the most salient critique of the show: “If the show fails to help Angelenos understand the men and women who design our city better, it does beautifully help deliver director Jeffrey Deitch's vision for MOCA: broaden the definition of what gets defined as art.” Backhanded compliment alert!
The Craft and Folk Art Museum cozied up to hundreds of thousands of walkers, bikers, rollers and strollers at CicLAvia; Credit: Los Angeles Walks
Meanwhile, last weekend served as a kind of PSTP closing ceremony celebration as many of the museum shows will end over the next few weeks (with a few already finished). Perhaps the largest PSTP event so far gathered over 150,000 Angelenos on Wilshire Boulevard, where it was proven that you don't need a bike to participate in CicLAvia: Behold WalkLAvia, DanceLAvia, NapLAvia… Look for more creative interpretations of the “no cars” theme at the October 6 CicLAvia.
As part of the PSTP tie-in, there were several architecturally focused elements produced for the event. CicLAvia produced a printed guide to the modern architecture along the route [PDF], and journalist Edward Lifson curated a series of podcasts about the Boulevard, featuring storytellers like DJ Waldie, Cathy Gudis, J. Eric Lynxwiler and yours truly. Even if you didn't make it out CicLAvia, these stories are all worth a listen to learn a little more about L.A.
Asher Hartman's play was staged in a R.M. Schindler house in Laurel Canyon; Credit: Glass Bang by Asher Hartman. Video by Machine Project.
Of course, it's not really over until Whitney Houston sings, and that will happen this weekend as part of Machine Project's ongoing Field Guide to L.A. Architecture, which continues through August. I took a deeper look at the collective's awesome site-specific and performance-based happenings in last week's paper and while I can say that all the upcoming events look great, you will not want to miss this weekend's Whitney-focused Miracle Mile tour, hosted by Cliff Hengst.
Tonight, UCLA's Extreme IDEAS series wraps up with a series of fast-paced presentations at their new campus in Playa Vista. I attended and wrote essays about their three previous panels, and you can now read all my recaps and see videos of the events. Watch for my live tweets on Friday as Kimberli Meyer, Christian Moeller, Casey Reas and more take to the stage for fast-paced presentations, moderated by KCRW's Frances Anderton.
Jenny Wu, Dwayne Oyler, Fabio Zangoli, Elena Manferdini and Tom Wiscombe at the MOCA opening; Credit: John Sciulli/Wire Media
There's still plenty to see and do until the initiative officially closes in a few weeks. I recommend checking out PSTP's excellent calendar, and following @PSTinLA for updates and highlights. And since we can now count on the Getty to mount regular shows surveying L.A. art and architecture in 60 year intervals, see you back here in 2070?
Until then… it's been a pleasure.
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