April 2009
24 posts
Giant Paper Robots Invade L.A.
Scion has been running an art gallery over on the westside (Culver City to be exact) for a bit now and is currently running an exhibit called PAPERSHAPERS, curated by Giant Robot.
Original work by: Ana Serrano, Annie Vought, Brian Dettmet, Hunter Stabler, Peter Callesen, Polly Verity, Richard Sweeney, Mu Pan and Ryohei Tanaka.
Papershapers is a group show featuring ten artists who work with paper, not “on paper.” The exhibition will feature works that are cut, torn, folded, and sewn into unique creations.
The show ends this Saturday and is worth a glance.
The Scion Installation L.A. Gallery, 3521 Helms Ave. (at National), Culver City, Calif. 90232.
Particularly after Liz showed us “Green Porno” after Writer’s Salon Sunday, I’m a little obsessed with giant things made out of paper that maybe shouldn’t be. And paper robots DEFINITELY fit that description.
(Not to mention the fact that Scion has it’s own sponsored gallery. Who knew?)
“It’s easy to get the feeling that you know that language just because when you order a beer they don’t bring you oysters.”
—
Paul Child, to his wife Julia, their first year in France. (via factsarenothing)
This so reminds me of time in foreign countries when I was so proud of my language skills, and then would manage to call myself a spinach and ask how much I’d cost.
Not to mention the completely typical, and yet no less hilarious, quirk of the Greek language that makes the word for cucumber and the word for boy nearly interchangeable.
Okay, That Was More Excitement Than I Needed
Scene:
The Alleyway behind my apartment in a nice neighborhood at the base of the Hollywood Hills.
Five people are facing the fence with their hands behind their heads and their legs spread while three black and whites surround them. Four of the suspects are men of varying ages, a couple look a little rough, and one is a girl with dark hair and tight jeans and green socks pulled up to her calves under battered cowboy boots. An officer in uniform is standing very close to them and when the girl turns her head a little, the officer says something sharply that I can’t make out and the girl turns back to the fence.
One of the officers is going through an old black Saab that’s in the middle of the alley, and belongs (I assume) to the people against the fence. All the doors are open and the car looks exposed, like someone doing the walk of shame too late in the morning.
I walk towards my own car not two feet away from one of the black and whites, both the officers and the suspects ignore me.
There’s just enough room for me to get out and I don’t say anything as the takedown continues, just carefully pull out of my space, trying to avoid the whole thing, desperate to take pictures.
It looked like a film, weirdly juxtaposed in our alley off the canyon, them pressed up against this fence that butts up against Rico the junk collectors ancient bungalow and the Moorish villa next door.
Aaron Sorkin's Liberal Fantasy
Okay, inspired by Lizlet’s reblog of President Bartlet calling the Butterball Hotline on The West Wing, I’m so tempted to go back and watch all of the first few seasons (I’m a heretic, I actually very much enjoy the non-Sorkin seasons as well, but I love the underdogs figure out how to kick assness of the first two season so very much).
So, favorite scene? Favorite character? Favorite ep?
Play
“If there’s anything the national mood needs right now, it’s a dervish of lusty, heartsick rock that prefers the friendship of Jack, Jim and Jose (nee Daniels, Beam and Cuervo) to the sad-panda malaise of most chart-bound female singer-songwriters.”
—
August Brown, LA Times Review of Ida Maria’s new album “Fortress Round My Heart”
(Sad-panda malaise is now my favorite modifier. Ever.)
This Week's Lessons
Via Community Policing Class:
* The LAPD does not use “spike strips.” They use Tire Deflating Implements. That come on a string with spikes and are launched across the road like a fishing line.
* The “shooting at or from a moving vehicle” official policy is… mostly we shouldn’t.
* Traffic? Very serious business.
* The economic squeeze is upping the domestic violence calls the police are getting.
Via iTunes:
* Elvis Perkins in Dearland really is that good.
* Also, I would marry Corb Lund based on “I Wanna Be in the Cavalry.”
Via lizlet and really the media in general:
* Women are still being treated as second class citizens in the media. And people are really, really stupid (although Community Policing helps reinforce that on a pretty regular basis).
Via my own reflections on things:
* I am never going to be comfortable with the idea of going to a strip club. I’m never not going to see it as exploitation and feel a little sick at the idea that we’ve apparently evolved to the point where it’s considered ironic and fun to participate in sexual exploitation.
* The above makes me feel judgmental and provincial. I think I’m just going to have to live with that. Empowerment comes in a lot of forms and if stripping empowers you, okay, so be it. I have no issues with that, but I may have some issues with our societal co-opting of sex workers as something glamorous.
Via Raymond Chandler in general:
* Really, if I could learn to write like Chandler, with that effortless ease of scene and sardonic wit and carlessness, I could consider myself pretty happy.
LA on special
So in the last two days I’ve seen two specials that I suspect are recession/economy related:
* Laemmle Theaters are offering $6 seats all days on Tuesdays.
* Lola’s now has a Ladies Night on Sundays (that’s so hilarious in concept, so very 1980’s for this place that makes $10 and up martinis). There are drink specials. We will be attending.
There’s also a divey bar I go to in the Valley after class/rehearsal on Thursday nights (Pineapple Hill Saloon) that has instituted one of those late night happy hours where after 11 p.m., you get a percentage off the drinks.
Makes me think there are other super-snazzy deals around town that I’m missing.
Anyone know of anything? Buy 4 cupcakes, get a 5th free? Two white hipster belts for the price of one? A free microquake with the price of admission (oh wait, that was Silverlake yesterday). A complimentary snide remark at Book Soup with your trade paperback? What else are we missing out on?
