oneshotexhibition.org blog

“Treat others with respect as much as you want others to treat you with respect.”

Los Angeles Riots of 1992 was the pivitol moment of race relations not only for the country but the whole world. It showed there was an underlying tensions between the LAPD and the minority community, especially in the black community in South LA.

The question is: “Have we as a society move forward in trying to bridge race relations in the private, political and social spectrum in this country?” In some ways yes and other ways no. Yes, we have the first black president, President Barrack Obama, but there is still hatred for him by a few Jesus Freaks who uses the name of God to spew venom and hatred towards the president because he’s black. Still minorities struggle to have their voices heard and mistreatment.

Do architects and designs have a role in producing works that bridge that gap? Will have to see.

Song of the Blog:  Living in the City by Stevie Wonder in the Album Innervision

While much of the US economy is trying to survive from the downfall of the real estate market, there is one project that is still going and building with less fanfare but has most of the tourist gawking about is the City Center on the Vegas Strip. It is a City Center (aren’t all hotel casinos a city within itself) along Las Vegas Blvd, near E. Harmon Ave. intersection, with its own zip code that cost 11 billion dollars, consisting designs by world re-known architects: Daniel Libeskind, Ceasar Pelli, Helmut Jahn, Rafael Viñoly, Norman Foster and David Rockwell, having it bill as a world-class city development focusing on art and architecture with an emphasis on sustainable design, being develop by MGM Mirage Company at the cost of 11 billion dollars. It shows what kind of diversity in architecture can bring to Las Vegas at a price.

It was an opportunity to hang out with some friends in last month’s March Madness in New York, New York Hotel and Casino to check out the center. During the day, I could overhear crowds of revelers and tourist commenting the look of the center. A couple with a heavy southern accent commented that they didn’t know what to think about the look of the complex, especially at the Daniel Libeskind design, “it didn’t look pretty, but I think it’s ugly.” In some of the theoretical world of architecture, it is a compliment and reveling in it. It’s weird. Las Vegas, in a whole, is a town that is perceived of being of not knowing what to think.  With all the kitsch, urban sprawl, traffic, lack of water resource and the fact it is in the middle of the dessert. It seems that people like myself escape to an area made out of nothing for something other than the truth and the reality of a sustainable city.

Back to City Center, late in the evening at 4:00 in the morning, I got the chance to really check the center up close while walking to the Sahara Hotel to get to the hotel room. While there were less people on the strip, I found there were no security at the gate and had the possibility of walking inside the complex with no problem. It seems that there resources are running thin, construction is moving in a snail pace and MGM Mirage are trying to get more financial backing to finish the project, the possibility of selling off some of their casino resorts to avoid bankruptcy.

What the problem is with this lifestyle center is the cost and livability in comparison to the rest of the City of Las Vegas; a unit of one can cost up to 23 million dollars. More people are losing their homes in break neck speed. The role of well known architects has been co-opted in designing over the top designs that become a selling point for the exclusive and not for all classes. While mainstream Las Vegas has become a bastion of the absurbity, we could always come to the originator of gaudiness and kitsch is Liberace.

View of City Center w/ Daniel Lebeskind designed building in the foreground (tilting walls).

A closer look @ City Center

The front entrance to City Center

The Dessert night brings comfort, where no secure place has no purpose nor reason that pierces  the conscious mind.

Exposed beyond the surface of doubt.

                                       The true originator of Las Vegas: Liberace

Song of the Blog: Holiday in the Sun by the Sex Pistols in the album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here are the Sex Pistols

Recently, there was a competition in regards to the recent voters approval for having mass transit in Los Angeles County, Measure R and Proposition 1A. Sponsor by Sci-Arc and the Architect’s Newspaper, this competition expressed an opportunity to come up with ideals and designs that will take advantage for government’s interest in improving public transit and life, even President Barack Obama is giving billions of dollars for creating a better infrastructure.

The winner of this competition was the group firm Radical Craft led by LA based Joshua G. Stein which proposed a high speed rail that loops around the LA basin at speeds of 100-150 miles per hour (MPH), with a urban corridor development along Sepulveda Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. While the winners were praised for their radical ideas in this format, what really lies is the lack of practicality, shows no certain nuance of the community and does not fix the immediate problems that exist today. It is more conceptual and abstract approach in which the analysis are convincing and insightful, but the end product brings more questions than probable solutions. What should have been an opportunity of a lifetime to bring a cohesive proposal to the public becomes a lost cause for 15 minutes of fame and disclosure. It’s hard to imagine to come up with one clear view where the issues are broad and  diverse that can bring a sigh of hope for a particular community and the rest of the area.

  Transit oriented development winning proposal from Radical Craft along the Sepulveda Blvd in the Sherman Oaks area. (from LA Curbed)

      Site development map along the Sepulveda Corridor of Sherman Oaks in phases. It would eliminate mostly medium-rise apartment complexes and single family residences with civic and commercial development. What about Mix-use development? (from LA Curbed)

                                    Can anybody say Monorail? (from LA Curbed)

This idea reminds of a Simpson’s episode of bringing a monorail into the town of Springfield, rather than improving mainstreet in downtown. Another scenario can be seen in a much smaller scale is Disneyland.

Song of the Blog: What Difference Does it Make? by the Smiths on their Debut Album The Smiths.

Architecture has evolve through history which theories and ideologies moves in a moment of time through technology, history, power, religion and shelter that serves a binding force for different eras of humanity. Some of the best works of Architecture uses metaphors, to convey the feeling and the idea in the art of architecture, which as compelling as the work itself. At times it can be convey relatively and takes a life of its own.

Metaphors like the Bird’s Nest (Bejing National Stadium) by Herzog & de Meuron has a connotative meaning to the Stadium as looking more like bird’s nest. Whether it is negative or positive, it is subjective unless the meaning is lost and disjointed.

One of the most successful in creating metaphors that are representative to the work is taking objects or subject manner found that are elementally recognizable and reinterpreted into a animated object, whether it is art, architecture, sculpture, and film.

Case in point, project that are intrinsically creative and shows the quality of its craft but the words are hard to describe the concept or idea to the viewing public. Frank Gehry designed IAC/InterActiveCorp Headquarters building in New York derives from a image of sails. It is apparent in its translation that it looks like the sails of the sailboat on the surface form of the building, soaring against the New York skyline.

                        IAC/InterActiveCorp Headquarters by Frank Gehry of Gehry Partners LLP

 Song of the Blog: Sea Legs by The Shins on the CD Wincing The Night Away

The photos of this building is located at the South-West corner of Howard Street and 6th Street. It is probably the most idiosyncratic piece of art on a abandon Victorian building by the shear presence of physical and cerebral graffiti- typical graffiti lettering, furniture & other appliances hanging atop & through the window, and vaudevillian advertisement.

             Graffiti on the corner of Howard and 6th Street.

Vaudevillian advertisement mural.

Furnitures and appliances poking out from window openings over the sidewalk.

Song of the Blog: The Wonton Song by Led Zeppelin on the Album Physical Graffiti

One of things in moving away from car culture that lasted for more than 50 years is to develop areas that are pedestrian friendly near transportation stops, meaning transportation oriented development (TOD); Make places more inviting and pleasing of the senses by integrating mixed use, open space and connectivity to the neighborhood.

One sort of banal and mundane approach of the typical urban sprawl that hasn’t brought any revitalization nor a paradigm shift of urban renewal into a community is the proposed commercial development at the corner of Woodman Avenue and Oxnard Street in Van Nuys (it’s really called Valley Glen for real estate purposes and local governing councils). It’s right in the center of a transportation stop for the gold line and is a perfect opportunity to have a new type of development in that corner with some good design acumen. This type of development is the same approach that disenfranchises communities than to more forward into a sustainable society.

This development could exacerbate the mindless cost to extend the practice of more parking lots and boxy buildings for the area that doesn’t tell about the people, area and locale of its richness and diversity. When will there be some kind of civic approach towards urban design that has the capacity to embrace the neighborhood and capitalize urban growth.

It is time to rethink this type of development and design, to bring down the hideous mini-mall that’s going to be obsolete.

The site on the corner of  Woodman and Oxnard where the mini-mall is being develop.

  The proposed development of vacant lot. A typical approach to Urban Sprawl near the TOD site on the Orange Line.

Close up of the building. Check out one of the name of the businesses (Modern Design). Far away from the truth.

Song of the Blog: the pre-released song Georgia by Eagle and Talon on the up-coming CD THRACIAN

The clay plastering workshop a few weeks ago came with surprises and accomplishment. Only a few people (probably eight) attended the workshop and about nine people cancel the last minute, but all in all it was a success.

Previously, the first workshop was about the raising the bale at the Chartwell School Campus and this time was about applying the first layer (scratch coat) over the straw, deer netting and coconut webbing (around the doors & windows per approved plans). It’s probably the most important part of the process because if the mix of the water and the clay contents are not right, than the clay will start to crack and won’t adhere to the surface. Having the leaders of the clay plastering workshop, CJ Cavet & Kathy Gregor, gave a full presentation of clay plastering all around the world and examples of different techniques of clay plastering.

For the whole day Saturday, the group was able to finish the whole exterior portion of the building and Sunday morning, finished the interior. It was amazing when you has a group of dedicated people working together for this project.

Hopefully, next time, there will be documentation on the finish plastering. In the meantime, check the workshop photos:

Slip coat is added on the straw bale and a rough mix of clay & straw to patch up the holes, gouges and inconsistencies of the straw bale.

Rear view

Deer netting is added instead of metal lath for the scratch coat to be applied and building paper is covering the box plate under the eaves.

Enjoying playing with mud clay.

Scratch coat applied to the straw. A mix of fine cut straw, clay & mortar clay.

Finishing the exterior side with the scratch coat.

Another side of the scratch coat.

Now it’s time to do the interior. Note: deer netting and coconut webbing attached to the staw bale.

Applying the scratch coat to the interior.

Finishing up the interior.

Truth window; a box framed picture window to show the layer underneath the finished plastering.

Song of the Blog: Midnight in A Perfect World by DJ Shadow on the CD record Endtroducing

The new California Academy of Science Museum at the Golden State Park in San Francisco by the famous architect Renzo Piano of Italy is a crowning achievement towards building a sustainable world. the reason for that acclaim is because the building is design to replace the old science building damaged by the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, but kept remnants of the old building. It is an ecological building the houses the natural history of the world and is a step towards designing and living green in mind.

An In-Depth article about the Science Museum by Metropolis Magazine shows the process of the academy members choosing Renzo for the design, the engineering of the building and the ideals of the living roof. It is one of the most detailed marks of green architecture for some time and the first in this century. It shows the possibility of designing green architecture with aesthetic value and progressive approach.

The best in seeing the whole view of the building is from the tower of the De Young Museum, across from the central garden from the Cal Academy of Science. While you could see the living roof atop with the bulging mounds and the solar panels wrapping around the rectangular shape building, The building seems to frame the backdrop of the city and the view of Twin Peaks Park. It almost blends itself with rest of the natural elements in the area.

The California Academy of Science Museum building is great forword step into the 21st century in building green architecture technology. The hope is for today’s architects and designers will take this to heart and come up with new innovative ideals and designs to sustain the future to enjoy the environment as it intended to be respected and harness.

View of the California Academy of Science Museum @ the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco from atop of the De Young Museum.

  View of the Living Roof on the California Academy of Science Museum (photo by Tim Griffith on Metropolis Magazine)

View of the Solar Cells on the edge of existing facade of the building.

Song of the Blog: Calling All Angels by Jane Sibery w/ K.D. Lang on the Movie Soundtrack Until the End of the World

The state of California is in a verge of a movement of epic proportions by a propose Legislation, Measure SB 375, to limit the urban sprawl to reduce global warming. It is the first state or government that has tackle urban development as a source to regulate land use policies that will create smart urban planning & infrastructure, and reduce carbon emission. It will give not only urban designers but Architects a broader context on designing environments for the future of society.

There is a belief that it will entail new business for energy technology, better research & invention on clean energy, such as solar, geothermal & recyclable,  and spur a new age of global environmentalism and emerging markets. The new book Hot, Flat and Crowded by New York Times “foreign affairs” columnist Thomas L. Friedman stated that there is a need of new innovation of clean energy and shift away from the waste that society is accustomed to their lifestyle choice. He calls it the Green revolution and that American has the opportunity to become the leader in this movement.

The hope from the possible new California state legislation measure and the series of books and articles addressing for a newer and daring approach towards the environment and society is that Architects and Designers has the opportunity to come up with innovative ideals and designs that will capture the spirit and the nature of moving towards a sustainable future. The ideal is to have a more responsible practice in reinventing the built environment while preserving our natural resources and the earth.

Song of the Blog:  This is Good by Fascinoma on their Myspace website.

One of the most blatant act of police brutality was done by a rookie New York City Cop Patrick Pogan who attacked a cyclist in one of the Critical Mass event which bicycle activists ride the streets of NYC to promote a better share of riding bicycles in the city landscape and for the public awareness of being socially conscious & environmentally responsible. The cyclist, Christopher Long, who is a Army veteran, was not seriously hurt but left an imprint on other cyclist on the status of being proactive in promoting sustainable living and responsibility.

The whole event was not permit, given the fact the bureaucracy of government officials would circumvent the critical organizers attempt to get a legal gathering or event to promote an alternative mode of transportation with safety concerns. It is important to note that more and more people are finding ways to decrease the amount of driving the automobile because the high price of gasoline and the driving experiences between cars and bicycles.

The most disturbing thing about the incident is the comments made in You-tube and other blog posts are asinine comments by ignorants who think that it was OK to beat up cyclist with no provocations. Be the judge of that. Also check out the New York Times report regarding this incident by the conflicting accounts from the officer account and what is actually happen by videotaping it.

Song of the Blog: Screw The Law by Black Flag on the Album The Process of Weeding Out.