Kristin's List: A Guide to Cultivated Los Angeles

Birds, whales and popcorn are the magical combination for an amazing Friday night out in LA. The Audubon Center at Debs Park offers an informal bird walk through its walnut woodlands before an outdoor screening of the 2002 large aquatic mammal classic “Whalerider.” Destined to be the chief of her New Zealand tribe, the young Pai must prove herself and of course, ride the mythical whale Paikea. Visit one of the city’s few natural locales while enjoying one of Kristin’s all time favorite films under the stars.

“Whalerider” will be screened in English with Spanish subtitles. 2002, 101 min.

WHEN: 7pm bird walk (binoculars provided), 8pm film
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: Audubon Center at Debs Park
ADDRESS: 4700 N. Griffin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031
WEBSITE: www.laaudubon.org

Using a lensless camera with long exposure times ranging from 1 day to 4 months, Austrian artist Andreas Zingerle captures the tranquil paths of the sun against the deep blue hues of the horizon. Presented in his five-camera installation known as “Solargrafica,” the viewer is surrounded by the usually invisible images as well as a soundscape that changes with ones position in the piece. View Zingerle’s photographic fete as well as other “Hybrid” artworks at this years Siggraph 2008 interdisciplinary computer graphics and interactive techniques conference.

WHEN: August 11-August 15
ADMISSION: $45 One Day Pass to Siggraph 2008 Conference
TICKETS: www.siggraph.org/s2008/attendees/registration/
WHERE: LA Convention Center
ADDRESS: 1201 S Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
PHONE: (213) 741-1151
SIGGRAPH 2008 WEBSITE: www.siggraph.org/s2008
SOLARGRAFICA WEBSITE: www.andreaszingerle.at/

Global warming has caused 10,000,000 cubic miles of water to return to the oceans as ice caps gradually melt and glaciers slowly retreat. Join Dr. Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, for a discussion on how the sea level rise could affect California coastal communities. With shorelines and coastal bluffs having undergone major development, the hazards of coastal living mixed with the rising sea level are that much greater.

WHEN: 7pm-8:30pm
ADMISSION: $7 General/$4 Members/Free Students
ADMISSION NOTE: Ticket cost is for lecture only, not for the Aquarium
WHERE: Aquarium of the Pacific
ADDRESS: 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
WEBSITE: www.aquariumofpacific.org

In an afternoon for all ages, the Natural History Museum presents a lighthearted look at b-movie creatures and their “real life” counterparts. After the screening of “Monster on Campus” (1958), where a college professor becomes a murderous Neanderthal after being exposed to the blood of a prehistoric fish, the Museum’s resident crustacean expert will clarify fish facts and fictions.

WHEN: 2pm
ADMISSION: $9 General/$6.50 Seniors & Students/$2 Children/Free Members
WHERE: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
ADDRESS: 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007
PHONE: (213) 763-DINO
WEBSITE: www.nhm.org

Tired of the expense of watering and draining one of our most precious natural resources? Learn a multitude of ways to kill your lawn and ready your garden for fall planting at the Theodore Payne Foundation’s “Kill Your Lawn” class. Not only will you lessen your dependence on water but will also discover all the aesthetic, economic and environmental benefits lawn substitutes can bring.

WHEN: 1pm-3pm
ADMISSION: $30 General/$20 Members
WHERE: Theodore Payne Foundation
ADDRESS: 10459 Tuxford St, Sun Valley, CA 91352
PHONE: (818) 768-1802
WEBSITE: www.theodorepayne.org

Experience two rare LA qualities - quiet and darkness - at the Descanso Gardens Summer Night Walk. Notice how bright the stars appear, become aware of the awakening wildlife and walk through the 25-acre estate filled with oaks and seasonally blooming roses. Docent Jim Jackson will lead a tranquil tour through the Gardens, which in Spanish translates as “ranch of rest.”

WHEN: 7:15pm
ADMISSION: $15 General/$10 Members
TICKETS: Space is limited, early registration recommended
WHERE: Descanso Gardens
ADDRESS: 1418 Descanso Dr, La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
PHONE: (818) 949-4200
WEBSITE: www.descansogardens.org

As part of the Hammer Museum’s Conversation series, artist/gardener/educator Fritz Haeg will dialogue with media artist Chip Lord.

Fritz Haeg, who operates out of his L.A. geodesic home and design studio, believes in challenging preconceptions about land use by replacing suburban lawns with domestic edible landscapes. This approach is described in Haeg’s first book, “Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn,” which will soon be followed this fall by “Sundown Salon 2001–2006 In Words and Pictures.”

Media artist Chip Lord is a member of Ant Farm and has produced video art classics “Media Burn,” “The Eternal Frame” and “Cadillac Ranch.” Lord’s video work straddles documentary and experimental genres, often mixing the two, and has been shown widely at film and video festivals. He is a Professor in the Film and Digital Media Department at UC Santa Cruz.

WHEN: 7pm
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: Hammer Museum
ADDRESS: 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
PHONE: (310) 443-7000
CONTACT: www.hammer.ucla.edu

That Yarn Store is hosting a night of yarn, art and science where a secret side of crochet will be revealed. For two hundred years mathematicians have struggled to create 3D models of hyperbolic geometry. It turns out that with a hook, yarn and a wise instructor, these mind-bending shapes can be realized through the art of crochet.

For people without crochet experience supplies and beginning instructions on crochet will be provided for an extra fee of $10.

WHEN: 7pm
ADMISSION: $15
WHERE: That Yarn Store
ADDRESS: 5028 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
PHONE: (323) 256-9276
WEBSITE: www.thatyarnstore.com

Hidden away in Bel Air is the Kyoto-style Hannah Carter Japanese Garden. Landscaped with a mix of Japanese plants and the property’s original California live oaks, the garden houses a 1,000 year-old stone carving of Buddha, a volcanic outdoor sunken bath, and numerous structures, such as the teahouse and main gate, that were brought directly from Japan.

Making a reservation to take a self-guided tour of the garden is essential as there are only two parking spaces on the property.


WHEN: 10am-3pm Tues, Wed & Fri
ADMISSION: Free, reservations essential
RESERVATIONS: (310) 794-0320 or email gardens@support.ucla.edu
WHERE: Hannah Carter Japanese Garden
ADDRESS: 10619 Bellagio Rd, Bel Air, CA 90077
WEBSITE: www.japanesegarden.ucla.edu

When something is sucked into a black hole, does it disappear? For over three decades, Leonard Susskind and Stephen Hawking have been disputing the true nature of black holes. In conversation with science writer K.C. Cole, Susskind will discuss his new book, “The Black Hole War,” and why Hawking’s theories put our understanding of physics and the entire universe on the line.

WHEN: 7pm
ADMISSION: Free, reservations recommended
TICKETS: www.lfla.org/aloud
WHERE: Mark Taper Auditorium @ the Central Library
ADDRESS: 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071
CONTACT: www.lfla.org/aloud
PARKING: 524 S. Flower Street Garage

In preparation for the Audubon’s July 26th survey of local butterflies at the Madrona Marsh, learn how to identify such varieties as the Western Tiger Swallowtail, Palos Verdes Blue and Hairstreak. Encouraging Angelenos to become citizen-scientists, the class will explain how to count butterflies using binoculars and nets, as well as the types of plants various species are drawn to.

If you already own close-focus binoculars feel to bring them. The Madrona Marsh will also have some on hand.

WHEN: 10am-12noon
ADMISSION: Free, call in advance to reserve a spot
WHERE: Madrona Marsh and Nature Center
ADDRESS: 3201 Plaza Del Amo, Torrance, CA 90503
PHONE: (310) 782-3989
WEBSITE: www.friendsofmadronamarsh.com

With the guidance of a UCLA astronomy graduate student, face the reality of a region of space where the gravitational field is so powerful that not even light can escape. At the UCLA Planetarium’s “Black Holes in the Universe” presentation, which includes a 30-minute sky show, “learn what makes a black hole tick, where they come from and why they have no hair!”

On clear nights visitors are invited to look through one of the department telescopes after the planetarium show. Depending on what is currently in the sky, get a glimpse of various celestial objects, including planets, nebulae, and/or star clusters.

WHEN: 8pm sharp, no late arrivals admitted
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: UCLA Planetarium, Rm MS 8224 @ Mathematical Sciences Building
ADDRESS: Westwood, CA 96137
PHONE: (949) 923-0578
UCLA CAMPUS MAP: www.ucla.edu/map/map_north.html
WEBSITE: www.astro.ucla.edu/planetarium

As part of a study on circular formations, the Machine Project invites people to document a stuntman jumping from the gallery’s second story window. Bring a video camera (or one can be provided), stand in a circle around where the body will fall and film the leap. The footage will be edited to suspend the stuntman in mid-air with a 360-degree pan, a la “The Matrix.”

The second story leap is the first of a two-part series entitled “A Practical Demonstration.” Picking up on the circular and orbiting theme, Machine Project is asking people in every time zone to point their computer camera to the sky between 11:30am-12:30pm. For one 24-hour period an international circle of people will chase the sun around the earth. The resulting video will be screened for 24 hours at the gallery space.

To partake in either of these events contact: machine@machineproject.com

WHEN: 6pm
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: Machine Project
ADDRESS: 1200 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90026
PHONE: (213) 483-8761
MACHINE PROJECT WEBSITE: www.machineproject.com
ADDITIONAL INFO: Videotapes will be provided unless you want to donate one

Come celebrate “Tanabata,” the Japanese Star Festival, which is based on the ancient tale of two stars, Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair), who are separated by the Milky Way and can only meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. To mark the happy event, children are invited to write their wishes on strips of colored paper and tie them to bamboo where the wind can carry them to the sky.

Origami crafts will also be offered.

WHEN: 1:30pm-3pm
ADMISSION: $20 General/$15 Seniors/$10 Students/Free for Members & Children under 5
REGISTRATION: (626) 405-2128
WHERE: Japanese Garden at The Huntington
ADDRESS: 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108
PHONE: (626) 405-2100
WEBSITE: www.huntington.org

As part of a travelling series on water in cities around the world, eight adventurous TaskForce dancers will perform at the LA River. Inspired by our areas complex relationship to this natural resource, the dance piece will be in conjunction with a bus tour of the LA River led by River guide Jenny Price and poet Suzanne Lummis.


WHEN: 9:30am
ADMISSION: $50 General/$45 FoLAR Members
RESERVATIONS: Call FoLAR at (323) 223-0585 or email akatano@folar.org
WHERE: Tour begins at the LA River & Gardens
MAP TO LA RIVER & GARDENS: www.lamountains.com/maps/riverCenter.pdf
TASKFORCE WEBSITE: www.koplowitzprojects.com/taskforce/