Labor Day at LACMA

On Labor Day Weekend, I traveled to L.A. As usual, it was a stimulating change of pace from my serene Santa Barbara. One of the highlights of my trek was a visit to the wonderful, spacious, L.A. County Art Museum. It was a warm and fairly clear day in the city, and the museum offered graceful views of West Hollywood and the adjacent hills, as well as a clear vista of the illustrious Hollywood sign.

One of the first exhibits that I saw at the museum, was an interactive piece that I can only describe as long, yellow, rubber noodles. It was a playful piece that attracted and delighted the many children who were visiting that day (myself included.) The piece inspired me to use my camera's video application for the first time. I was able to capture only a brief moment of movement before my memory card ran out.

Accompanied by my daughter and a dear old friend, I saw the much-talked-about "giant rock", with its official title of "Levitated Mass". The rock sits on several acres of sand and appears like an isolated boulder in the middle of a desert. As you near the rock, you begin to see the concrete ramp, excavated and reinforced beneath it. One thing that was pervasive at this exhibit, as well as at LACMA in general, was the sense of delight and awe in the visitors viewing the art.

I found the instillation of two-hundred L.A. County lampposts, which were part of a larger exhibit entitled "Metropolis II", to be visually exciting through the eyes of the camera. I particularly liked the abstract mystery and film clip quality of this shot, which includes my daughter and my friend.

And last, but not least, the absolutely mesmerizing second half of "Metropolis II", which was an elaborate cityscape animated by toy cars and trolleys and trains. This too inspired me to use video.  It was difficult to pull myself away from this captivating piece by artist Chris Burden. His creation literally drove home the noise and head spinning chaos that lives in our century of freeways and automobiles.

To me, now, this cityscape in action seems to represent perfectly the hiatus that I am about to embark upon. It also makes me think of travel in general, and that beyond physical travel, there are many kinds of journeys; there are journeys of the heart and journeys of the mind. Now, as I begin my several months hiatus, my plan is to return on January 15, 2013, to make my next post.

I enjoy your company, Dear Readers, and have gotten to know many of you who regularly make delightful comments here. I can truly say that I will miss you and will, of course, think of you often. I want to wish you all a beautiful end of the year, and a rich and colorful Holiday Season flavored with joy and inspiration.

 And so, Dear Friends, arrivederci and many blessings until we meet again. My fond regards, ~  Anitra