posted by on 2001.09.26, under Uncategorized

Today in Los Angeles it was clear.

Bright, hot, dry and extremely clear. Clarity is the sort of thing I never really noticed about the air (anywhere else) until I moved out here. A clear day is beautiful – it seems pure in some way. To make it even better, driving into dowtown on the 10 freeway you get a view of the skyscrapers framed by the mountains and hills beyond, wrapping all the way around the city to the north and west. I could even see the radio or weather station antennae on top of the mountains. Once dowtown, the sun became opressive, pushed by a hot and dry Santa Ana wind. Somehow the view, the sense of distance, the details of the mountains, had a kind of cooling effect. Very calming. East of downtown, in the SCI-Arc parking lot, the view opened up once again. I could pick out a couple of police helicopters in the space between the buildings and the mountains somewhere. It really couldn’t diminish the heat at this point, but still brought with it a sensation of release. Happy emptiness.

Anyway.

This probably doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it is reasurring to me that LA can be very beautiful now and then. And quiet.

Soon I will get back to work on more Rise related issues.

posted by on 2001.09.11, under Uncategorized

Rise Industries gone black in honor of those lost and injured this morning.

posted by on 2001.09.11, under Uncategorized

So, yesterday I thought my apartment building had been hit by a truck. When the sensation failed to end immediately, I realized it was an earthquake. Four-point-two on the richter scale, centered only a few miles away. That’s pretty small for a quake. It’s a very strange sensation…. so far in my two and a half years in LA I have felt three of them. One large and rolling, like a ship, one sharp and sudden – gone before I realized what is was. This one was sharp too, but lasted a few seconds. Enough time to run outside, to feel the house racking, to see a couple of photographs tumble to the floor. It is interesting to live in a place where the solidity of the earth is not something you can simply take for granted. Well, most of the time you do – but then you are reminded that it is really more of a fluild system. It’s going to move sometime, and everything is just going to have to fall down. Maybe that is what helps LA keep an attitude of constant change, of being only temporary. It is sort of like bringing the concept of the ocean to the land. The idea of a body so large and powerful, so out of scale that any single person simply does not register in front of it. You don’t fuck around with the ocean, ask any sailor. Here, the ground can command that sort of respect as well. Buildings better respect those tectonic plates, or they’ll just fuck that shit up in no time.

Ok. Some important upcoming events:

Opening on Thursday September 13th, from 5-10 pm at Art Share,

A show featuring artist Mike Bullas, and two exhibitions – “Articulating Space, Student Design Competition” and a group show “Engaging Materialism” which will feature two works from Rise Ind. member Michele Jaquis.

Art Share is at 801 E. 4th Pl. in downtown LA, I looked for a map on their site, but didn’t find one. You could look too if you want. Over here.

Also coming up this week, “What’s Shakin’: New Architecture in LA” at the MOCA Geffen Contemporary. The members opening will take place on Saturday September 15th at 7:00 pm.

In conjunction with this show, SCI-Arc will be having a building opening event in its new home downtown at the Freightyard. A shuttle bus will take visitors from the Geffen to SCI-Arc. The SCI-Arc event happens at 8:00 pm and is open to all.

Check the MOCA website for more information and directions…. here.

I hope y’all can make it to these shows, I know for a fact that SCI-Arc can throw a decent party…

posted by on 2001.09.09, under Uncategorized

Got this in my inbox today, regarding the Cover Garments project:

“Is this some kind of joke? I truely hope it is…..this is some of the worst, most unoriginal, poorly written, cheesey, crap I have seen in quite a while. Learn how to write, learn how to design, and get some actual values outside of your inarticulate, consumer driven world. I sincerely hope this is not what you learned to do in school. God, I hope it’s a joke.”

Yes, we are laughing our asses off….

Still trying to find a way out of the consumer driven world, if anyone sees an exit – please drop us a line.

On a local note: if you are in Los Angeles tonight I hope you are heading over to Chung King road shortly (6:00 to later) for a peek at several openings, see you there.

Oh, and perhaps you were directed here by one of my trusted news sources, themorningnews or archinect. Many thanks to those folks for the links!

posted by on 2001.09.06, under Uncategorized

In other news, there is some new content hiding here and there in the site… under the featured Cover Garments project I have finally posted the final renderings – although the model pictures are not up yet. Also, there is a project by artist Michele Jaquis above – click on the image of the table. You may have seen this installed at an exhibition put together by a studio in the MR+D program at SCI-Arc last spring.

If you have not been to the Hatch Gallery (Los Angeles) lately, or at all for that matter, there is a great show up right now called The Backyard Show. Drop by some evening, or on the weekend, and see if the door is open (I am not sure of their hours at the moment). Tell Chris I said Hi. They are located at the corner of Venice Blvd. and Sawtelle, just west of the 405 freeway overpass. I hope to have some time to write a review of this show soon, with photos, so watch for it.

Should be bringing a few more things online soon, and getting more info to you about goings on at SCI-Arc as it happens.

posted by on 2001.09.06, under Uncategorized

In other news, there is some new content hiding here and there in the site… under the featured Cover Garments project I have finally posted the final renderings – although the model pictures are not up yet. Also, there is a project by artist Michele Jaquis above – click on the image of the table. You may have seen this installed at an exhibition put together by a studio in the MR+D program at SCI-Arc last spring.

If you have not been to the Hatch Gallery (Los Angeles) lately, or at all for that matter, there is a great show up right now called The Backyard Show. Drop by some evening, or on the weekend, and see if the door is open (I am not sure of their hours at the moment). Tell Chris I said Hi. They are located at the corner of Venice Blvd. and Sawtelle, just west of the 405 freeway overpass. I hope to have some time to write a review of this show soon, with photos, so watch for it.

Should be bringing a few more things online soon, and getting more info to you about goings on at SCI-Arc as it happens.

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