This Design Department-sponsored event isn't getting much attention, but it's a pretty big deal for Design Junkies. Gary Hustwit made two excellent documentaries before this new one, each about different aspects of Design. First, there was Helvetica, a look at the 20th century's most celebrated font. Next was Objectified, which focuses on Industrial Design and the objects we all use every day (like iPods and OXO potato peelers). Both films can be Watched Instantly on Netflix.
Here's what the Urbanizedwebsite has to say: "Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Over half the world’s population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.
Who is allowed to shape our cities, and how do they do it? Unlike many other fields of design, cities aren’t created by any one specialist or expert. There are many contributors to urban change, including ordinary citizens who can have a great impact improving the cities in which they live. By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, Urbanized frames a global discussion on the future of cities."
The film will be shown at 7pm in the University Theater, and the event is expected to last until 9:30. Gary Hustwit will answer questions following the screening. The event is free, but they are suggesting that you reserve by going HERE .
Want a taste?
By the way, Hustwit raised some of the money for this project using Kickstarter , the "world's largest funding platform for creative projects." That means it's something you should know about.
This is always an interesting experience. You get to see lots of current art, as well as the studios (and sometimes living spaces) of the artists. The blurb:
"The Brewery ArtWalk is a twice annual open studio weekend at the world's largest art complex. With over 100 participating resident artists, you will have the opportunity to see new works, discover new favorites, speak with the artists and purchase artwork directly from the artists at studio prices.
The ArtWalk takes place in the Spring and Fall, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Admission is free and so is parking. Come and support LA’s finest artists, take home some great works and dine at the on-site restaurant."
The Brewery is at 2100 N. Main St in L.A., near where the 5 crosses the 10.
"Staying Au Courant" will be my category for new (and newish) works that might be worth your while--but might not. Their inclusion doesn't mean I'm recommending them, but it does mean that they could have some significance within the culture. Love it or hate it.
First up: Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture.
Dunham made this film in 2009, at the age of 23. She wrote it, directed it, and she plays the lead role (her mother, photographer Laurie Simmons, plays her character's mother, and her sister plays her character's sister). It premiered at the SXSW festival in Austin in 2010, where it won an award for Best Narrative Feature, and it went on to win Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. Here's the trailer:
If the trailer appeals, I think you'll enjoy the movie. If not, not. It's an accurate encapsulation. On the IMDB message board for the film, you'll find a post entitled "Natalie Portman's favorite film of 2010," as well as one entitled "Could be the worst movie I've ever seen." Personally, I enjoyed it, though it's very much a New York Indie (or more specifically a Tribeca Indie--it was shot in her mother's loft/art studio) about an immature, neurotic twenty-something with a sense of entitlement. Much of the humor and emotion springs from witnessing Dunham's character behave in sometimes cringe-inducing fashion. And anyone who has ever been (or is) a twenty-something will, unfortunately, find at least something to relate to.
Did I mention Dunham made this at age 23? I'll mention it again. And I'll add that it was shot entirely with this:
This is the Canon EOS 7D, which currently goes for $1,500, not including lenses. It's a digital still camera that also shoots HD video. Shooting movies and TV shows with such DSLRs (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras is becoming more and more common. It's very economical, and, as you can see in the trailer, the results are pretty impressive. Ever considered making a movie?
No? Consider this: After Tiny Furniture gained attention, Dunham was signed by Judd Apatow (writer/director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, producer of Bridesmaids) to create a series for HBO. And she did. It's called Girls (starring herself) and premieres April 15.
The title of Gerald Locklin's poem comes from Hemingway's famous theory of writing. But the poem itself has nothing to do with the theory or Hemingway.
I shot this in Gerry's office at CSULB on August 22, 2008.
Here's the PR blurb: "Pacific Standard Time is an unprecedented collaboration of cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to celebrate the birth of the L.A. art scene. Beginning October 2011, over 60 cultural institutions will make their contributions to this region-wide initiative encompassing every major L.A. art movement from 1945 to 1980."
Now, the various PST shows are ending, and so they've decided to make March 31 a free day. The venues are all over the L.A. area, so there's bound to be something not that far from you.
Here's part of what Reed Johnson wrote in last Sunday's L.A. Times:
"Almost everyone falls down a rabbit hole sometime in life. A trapdoor opens
under your career, your relationships, your beliefs, and headlong you go, like
Alice, into the void.
For a few of the 50 female surrealist painters and
sculptors represented in LACMA's exhibition "In Wonderland," that descent was a
terrifying tumble into mental depression, physical danger, even suicidal
despair.
But for others it was a subterranean passage to creative
fulfillment, erotic liberation and self-discovery, themes that artists such as
Frida Kahlo,
Leonora Carrington, Lee Miller, Kay Sage, Dorothea Tanning and Remedios Varo
visited time and again in their works.
It's an inspirational theme that
the show's organizers, Ilene Susan Fort, a LACMA curator of American art, and
Tere Arcq, former chief curator at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico
City, think will resonate with many women, and more than a few men. After
all, it did with them.
'This show has changed my life and my feelings
about my life, my friendships and family, more than any other show I've ever
done,' Fort said of the exhibition, on view at LACMA's Resnick Pavilion through
May 6. 'And I think it's because these women make you think and explore inside
yourself.'"
Just in case you're not familar with Surrealism, a cultural movement that reached the height of its popularity in the 1930s, here's a brief definition:
"surrealism: A literary and artistic movement whose proponents sought to express the irrational, the unconscious (especially as manifested in dreams), and the creative products of their imagination."--The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms
When most people think of Surrealist painting, they tend to think of works by men, such as those by Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Joan Miro, or Max Ernst. But this current show at LACMA is something different: a look at the contributions of women in both the U.S. and Mexico. It's definitely worth seeing.
Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940
Here's LACMA's blurb:
"North America represented a place free from European traditions for women Surrealists from the United States and Mexico, and European émigrés. While their male counterparts usually cast women as objects for their delectation, female Surrealists delved into their own subconscious and dreams, creating extraordinary visual images. Their art was primarily about identity: portraits, double portraits, self-referential images, and masquerades that demonstrate their trials and pleasures. The exhibition includes works in a variety of media dating from 1931 to 1968, and some later examples that demonstrate Surrealism's influence on the feminist movement. Iconic figures such as Louise Bourgeois, Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Lee Miller, Kay Sage, Dorothea Tanning, and Remedios Varo are represented, along with lesser known or newly discovered practitioners." http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/in-wonderland
(Film is briefly--and awkwardly--referenced at the exhibit's entryway. If you crane your neck and block everyone's way, you can get a taste of Maya Deren's 14-minute masterpiece Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)--a movie you should see away from distractions.)
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is having a FREE night just for college students on Thursday, April 5, starting at 8 pm. You should go. Where is LACMA? At 5905 Wilshire Blvd., near the corner of Fairfax. Please note that, for this night, parking is FREE after 7. If you're driving up from Long Beach, you can avoid freeway traffic by taking the La Cienega exit off the 405, then turning right onto Fairfax. Here's LACMA's website spiel:
Analog Among Nations (Mostly) Iteration 4 The Women by Renée Petropoulos. Inspired by the lives of the artists in the In Wonderland exhibition, this improvised and participatory performance is a poetic sound work composed of spoken word, recorded national anthems, and other material impressions.
Share your ideas in a gallery discussion, create art, or enjoy a free reception in your honor. LACMA is open to the public until 8 pm—so feel free to stop by and check out the rest of the museum before the reception.
Resnick Pavilion | Free, no reservations | College ID required | Admission is free for LA County Residents after 5 pm | Parking is free in LACMA lots after 7 pm.
