machine project @ lacma

machine project @ lacma
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

yesterday, machine project took over LACMA with installations, workshops and performances. i weathered the post-apocalyptic air from regional fires and lost myself in the whole experience, and though i spent most of the day there and still didn't see everything, i did discover parts of the museum i'd never been to, explored a familiar process (crochet) in a new way, and experienced the museum in a new way. in contrast to the usual quiet museum experience, the many people that attended added a feeling of controlled chaos as well as festive excitement to the event. there were lots of families with kids who could actually touch things inside the museum.

i started the visit learning to crochet a hyperbolic object using plastic bags as "yarn." crochet easily lends itself to three dimensional surface and materials experimentation. already, i'm thinking about making something on a bigger scale or in other materials. the two women who were orchestrating the class are working on a huge coral reef project made up of crocheted pieces.

after a few hours crocheting, i wandered around the museum, which is really quite large, now that they have the bcam. i've never even been inside some of the buildings. most of the time, my visits are to specific shows that take place in some of the same buildings. i had no idea there was a huge tony smith sculpture in the ahmanson building--i didn't even know that was the name of the building.

one of the favorite things i saw was this interactive piece using the monome interface. it consisted of what looked like a keyboard of white buttons with internal lighting that would turn on and off as you pressed them and would activate the rhythmic tapping of metal mallets on fabricated ceramic vessels. it was mesmerizing to watch and listen. it would take too long to go into detail on everything, but there were plenty of amusing things, and while some were more interesting than others, i thought it was great to see an intervention/installation of this kind at a major museum.