A Trip to the Hammer Museum

Desma Event #3:A Trip to the Hammer Museum

According to the worker at the front, not many people, especially students know about what the Hammer Museum has to offer. Many often think it costs money, it’s only art and exhibitions, and anything short of fun. However, I had an amazing experience. Apparently, most exhibitions are closed off for the wonderful renovation, building, and creation of Made in LA. This is fantastic book I actually had the chance to read -- so when I found out that they closed off half of the museum for this, I wasnt that upset. A series of more than one hundred contemporary exhibitions and installations featuring local, national, and international emerging artists.

However, I did get the chance to see the 45 minute long exhibition video The Desert People, 1974 by David Lamelas. This was the first work he produced in LA that calls attention to nature of meaning and truth. At first I was hesitant, but then later learned that David Lamelas began working as a sculptor in Argentina in the late 1960’s. About six years later, he showed his work “Office of Information about the Vietnam War at Three Levels: The Visual Image, Text and Audio, and installation dealing with the daily news reports about the escalating Vietnam War at the Finnish Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.” (Hammer Museum employee)

While watching this film, I realized that the setting was actually familiar to me. It was basically a car traveling through the desert with others traveling with him, a road trip is what we like to call it for a lack of a better term. But as soon as the narration begins, it is interrupted by documentary-style interviews.” Passing in this way from one film genre to another, Lamelas manages to blur the boundary between fact and fiction.” (Luxonline, 2005) I, unfortunately, did not get the chance to take pictures inside considering the theatre was almost full and dark.

Outside of the film, I experienced a place where art and artists test us to see the world though a new lens and think creatively and outside of the box. “The Hammer understands that art not only has the power to transport us through aesthetic experience but can also provide significant insight into some of the most pressing cultural, political, and social questions of our time.”(The Hammer Museum, 2016)A

However, what I found really fascinating was the theater's modern design by Michael Maltzan. The architecture portrays cinema's play of light and movement in real space. The theatre sat 294 surprisingly comfortable seats. When I walked in, I didn’t expect for it to be an actual seating theatre. It was pitch black, but the screen lit up the room. According to the Hammer Museum employee, “Billy Wilder fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s to become a master of Hollywood film language and a shrewd comic observer of the American scene.”

All in all, I  would definitely recommend going to the Hammer Museum. Even if it’s just to study or roam around. They have these incredibly fun, twirly chairs that actually very comfortable to sit in. There’s also a cafe where you can order food and a seating area to enjoy your meal, meet with friends, or study! It’s so peaceful. The sun hits gracefully in certain areas, but for the most part there is natural light that shines through and in almost every direction you see and feel art. It’s honestly an amazing experience.

References

"Alternative Projections." Outsiders Observe Los Angeles ». N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.

"Billy Wilder Theater | Michael Maltzan Architecture." Billy Wilder Theater | Michael Maltzan

Architecture. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.

"Contemporary Art Daily." Contemporary Art Daily RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.

"Home - Hammer Museum." The Hammer Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.

"The Desert People - Information, Clips and Stills | Luxonline." The Desert People

Information, Clips and Stills | Luxonline. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.