This week : e xplore the rise and form of right wing media spaces; shop local crafts and give the Amazon delivery person a break; celebrate 20 years of the hauntingly beautiful photography collection "House Hunting" by Todd Hido; lend your voice to Promenade 3.0; and see what's emerging from the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios.
1) An evening focused on Right Wing (Media) Spaces
The far-right is once again on the rise in the United States and Europe. How is this resurgence changing physical and digital locations? Philosopher and Thomas Mann Fellow Armen Avanessian will lead a multi-disciplinary conversation exploring the rise of right-wing ideology in the political landscape, and how it has reshaped our physical architecture and online spaces. Joining the discussion will be Jason Luger (UC Berkeley), Safiya Noble (UCLA) and Stephan Trüby (Institute for Principles of Modern Architecture, Stuttgart).
After his presentation, Armen Avanessian’s American guests will direct the conversation more locally: Noble will discuss right-wing space creation and infrastructure online, as well as the inherent prejudices, injustices and racism of algorithmic architecture. Luger will look at the American urban and regional fringe and the suburbanization of the right.
When: Friday, Dec 6, 7 pm
Where: NAVEL, 1611 S Hope Street, Los Angeles 90015
Tickets: Free. More information here.
2) Holiday Craft Markets: West Coast Craft and Echo Park Craft Fair
Local and artisanal, the decade-old Echo Park Craft Fair and the newly minted West Coast Craft Los Angeles will both be in full swing this weekend. The events open with a preview party Friday night for the Echo Park Craft Fair. Sip cocktails, enjoy music and meet the artists, while supporting Inner City Arts, an oasis of learning, achievement, and creativity for young people on LA's Skid Row. Both fairs show Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 am. Perfect for holiday gifts shopping.
West Coast Craft:
When: Sat/Sun, Dec 7/8, 10 am - 5 pm.
Where: South Lot at Skylight Row DTLA, 777 Alameda St, Los Angeles 90021.
Tickets: Free. See more about the event, including a complete list of artists here.
Echo Park Craft Fair:
When: Preview on Friday, Dec 6, 6 - 9 pm. $35 (a portion of ticket sales benefits Inner City Arts). Sat-Sun, Dec 7-8, 10 am - 6 pm. $15.
Where: Mack Sennett Studios, 1215 Bates Avenue, Los Angeles 90029 (bordered by Effie Street and Fountain Ave. You can see the event map here.).
Tickets: Get tickets here. See more about the event, including a complete list of artists here.
3) Todd Hido | House Hunting: Book Discussion and Signing
Photographer Todd Hido is best-known for this series of ethereal, gloomy pictures of houses. Here's how Nazraeli Press described the first printing of "House Hunting," announced in 2000:
“Todd Hido’s large color photographs of suburbia are lonely, forlorn, mysterious… and strangely comforting. Hido photographs the interior rooms of repossessed tract homes, and the outsides of similar houses at night whose habitation is suggested by the glow of a television set or unseen overhead bulb. Seldom does the similar evoke such melancholy. Yet rather than passing judgment on his anonymous subjects, Hido manages to turn the banal into something beautiful, imbuing his prints of interiors with soft pastels, and allowing the exteriors to glow in the cool evening air."
You can join the 20th anniversary celebration of "House Hunting" by Todd Hido with the artist and the release of a new remastered edition.
When: Saturday, Dec 7, 4 - 6 pm
Where: Arcana Books on the Arts, 8675 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90232
Tickets: Free
A pilot program on 3rd Street Promenade by RCH Studios added seating, games and art installations to create a new energy, maintain pedestrian flow and increase engagement with the public space.4) Public meet and greet with designers of Promenade 3.0
What's next for Third Street Promenade? With over 80 retail spaces - including movie theaters and restaurants - the three blocks of car-free shopping and entertainment is an important economic and cultural space for Santa Monica. Promenade 3.0 is the comprehensive public process spearheaded by Downtown Santa Monica Inc. and the City of Santa Monica to reinvest in Third Street Promenade. The planning committee is inviting the public to an Open House on Saturday, Dec 7, from 9 am - 2 pm to meet those who have been deeply involved in the project, or to stop by during the holiday season to view displays and read project documents.
You can view the City Council meeting here and review the City staff presentation to council here. You can also read about the pilot program by RCH Studios here, or listen to DnA's report about the changing promenade here.
When: Saturday, Dec 7, 9 am - 2 pm. Office hours weekdays 12 pm - 2 pm Dec 7 - 23.
Where: Promenade Police Substation, 1431 Third St, Santa Monica 90401
Tickets: Free
5) UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios: Open Studios
The newly renovated and expanded UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Studios will open to the public for the first time for the semiannual Graduate Open Studios. During this community celebration the public is invited to meet the M.F.A. students, see their work in progress, and experience the new environment that Los Angeles-based architecture firm Johnston Marklee created for the education of emerging artists.
When: Wednesday, Dec 11, 7 - 10 pm
Where: UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios, 3600 Hayden Ave. Culver City 90232
Tickets: Free. More information here.