New Photo: Lucas Waterfall
Mia Lehrer and Studio-MLA, The Rain
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has released an aerial photograph of its Mia Lehrer-designed waterfall feature, known as The Rain. Images have been trickling out for months, but this is the first professional photo I've seen of the full water feature in operation. The Rain is part of a geothermal cooling system for the museum.
Lehrer has been ubiquitous lately. Her studio's other local projects include the neighboring NHMLA's Commons, plus Destination Crenshaw, SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles River revitalization, and Hauser & Wirth.
Comments
I originally thought the street light installation of current-day LACMA wouldn't compete as well compared with the geyser fountains of the original LACMA. Or street lamps being less kinetic than moving water. But I was wrong.
I wonder if the renovated fountains on 5th Ave in front of the Met are considered as Instagram-able as Chris Burden's street fixtures are? I'm never sure what will appeal to the average person the most or not at all.
lovechaosdh's, Instagram:
The new David Geffen building at LACMA has been getting a good amount of negative criticism since its new debut in recent months. I went yesterday with low expectations but an open mind, primarily going to see the Henry Pearlman collection on loan from Brooklyn, which has a number of Chaim Soutine paintings (hard to find) and some great Modiglianis.
When I went to the David Geffen building I was absolutely blown away. Rather than being anti-human, anti-art, minimizing the artistic and human experience I think it added to it. The building is “masculine” in nature, Brutalist not only in reference to the post WWII architecture movement, but in its ambience of power and strength.
It did not feel oppressive nor dominating towards the viewer nor the art but more than anything added to the idea of preservation and protection of the artistic experience - both the art itself and the appreciation of the art.
The building reflects the city very well I thought too. Los Angeles is a city of concrete, concrete streets, concrete sidewalks, concrete freeways, concrete buildings. Like the building, we also live in expansive spaces, nothing like the tight confinement of NY.
To me LA now has a museum that not only reflects the nature of the city but is also a testament to the promotion and protection of art, that art deserves to be preserved and remembered. If in LA, native or visiting, I highly recommend checking it out. [End quote]
That blogger's Instagram page has photos that show the Geffen only from the outside, but I assume he did visit the interior too.
I've yet to read one review that cites how much of the building's exhibit areas are full of blank concrete walls and barren open concrete floors.
I now don't worry about walls that should be tinted, windows that need moveable walls in front of them, intrusive wall brackets, black-colored wall labels on red walls, donor lists showing dollar amounts given, etc.
The history of LACMA requires a lot of patience and tolerance. Oh, well.