We might be rained in this gray October morning, but just last night I devoured my very first dragon fruit (a sweet, fuchsia bulb that looks like an egg from Alien and tastes like sorbet when chilled), giving me yet another reason to love life in Southern California. And dragon fruit in October is just one of the hundreds of treasures spotted at the Silverlake farmers market on Saturday.
The concept of international volunteer work can conjure a number of different impressions. For doctor Luis Vasquez, founder of the Yantaló Peru Foundation, the idea hits close to home, literally. He was born in this small Peruvian jungle town before studying in Lima and, later, practicing in the US. It was seven years ago that he returned and found the place nearly unchanged from the Yantaló of his childhood. He decided to take action and the Foundation was born.
Moyobamba, Peru is known as the city of orchids, but to me it will forever remain the city of lost dogs. The homeless dog population here is staggering, and on the rainy morning of September 22nd this was especially apparent, as my hired motokar rattled past a forlorn mutt at nearly every other doorstep, halfheartedly awaiting invitation into the warm, away from the cold and the wet.
Sketch Theatre‘s mission is simple: to inspire artists through videos of established professionals doing what they do best, sped up and set to music. There is something incredibly inspiring and reassuring in watching the creative process, watching blank paper and graphite become jagged lines that grow into something else entirely. It lets us watch and learn, step by step, realizing that, yes, it is all possible with enough practice and dedication.
On Thursday, 200 lucky comic enthusiasts were treated to a very special event at Meltdown Comics: an evening with renegade author and culture analyst, Grant Morrison.
While on my way to check out an exhibit that had been on my radar for some time, I walked past a room with blue walls, a file cabinet, and various displays. I almost passed by but did a double take when it was brought to my attention that everything inside was created with insects. My unexpected detour had led me into Jennifer Angus’s “All Creatures Great and Small,” an outlandish exhibit that employs the use of multi-colored insects, beeswax figurines, vintage dollhouses, tribal patterns, and Dia de los Muertos skulls.
On Wednesday, Hollywood’s Dragonfly nightclub welcomed LA darksiders for Become3l3ctric –the www.disarorecords.com Disaro Records’ resurrection celebration. As one of the founding masterminds behind the Witch House movement, Robert Disaro has been casting aural spells since the launch of his label back in 2007, and helped propel careers of acts like SALEM and White Ring. Now, partnering up with German R. Verdilak of Krakis Distrubution, Disaro Records is back after a hiatus that began in late 2010.
It’s pretty amazing what some artists use as their canvas; Ann Weber is no exception. The San Francisco-based sculptor takes cardboard and transforms it into a realm of love and relationships. Using only cardboard, staples, and shellac, she creates her own characters, each with a very unique identity.
Weber’s work can currently be seen at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum in an exhibit titled, “Love and Other Audacities.” Walking into the exhibit, you are greeted with colossal cardboard sculptures, which are both architecturally dynamic and sensuous. Weber takes you into the land of her cardboard forms, each with their own crucial role within the exhibition.
From July 15 to the 17th, downtown LA hosted Future City – Little Tokyo Design Week; a four-day festival celebrating innovations in design and technology. With the evolution of sustainable urban development as its chief goal, this first installment of LTDW showcased container exhibits, film screenings, fashion shows, dance parties, product demos, performances, music, and awards ceremonies. And a caravan of LA’s finest food trucks, of course.
A man walking his date around on a leash, scantly clad go-go dancers, and a fetish playroom parlour were just a few of the highlights of Saturday’s Club Suicide. For those who are kicking themselves for missing out, the tatted up eye candy known as the SuicideGirls host these sexy evenings on the third Saturday of every month.
These sinful nights have been a common occurrence over the years and have taken place at a variety of venues. The past few have been held at the Monte Cristo – a recently remodeled artsy club in downtown Los Angeles outfitted with vaulted ceilings, a disco ball lit dance floor, framed mirrors on the ceiling, and an expansive rooftop patio that provides a panoramic city view.
