Episodes

  • 15: J. Yolande Daniels

    15: J. Yolande Daniels
    Apr 25 2024
    Learn more about J. Yolande Daniels' work at MIT, StudioSumo, and The Black City. Follow The Black City on instagram here. Show notes and Yolande’s Five Places:1. Biddy Mason Place (in today’s Downtown LA): more on Biddy Mason here.2. Brick Block (in today’s Downtown LA)3. Los Angeles Street (formerly Calle de Los Negros, near today’s Union Station)4. Azusa Street Mission (in today’s Little Tokyo)5. Bronzeville (in today’s Little Tokyo): How 'Little Tokyo' Of Los Angeles Changed Into 'Bronzeville' And Back Again (NPR); and Azusa Street to Bronzeville: The Black History of Little Tokyo (PBS SoCal)Honorable Mention: El Prieto Canyon—named after Robert OwensWhom would you choose to ask about their Five Places? Amy Murphy, Akira Mizuta Lippit Interview Date: 02-24-21 Related Links / Also Mentioned in this episode:J. Yolande Daniels, Black City: the Los Angeles Edition, The Museum of Modern Art (2020).Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, The Museum of Modern Art (2020), Totem House by studioSUMO + Histories of Negation by J. Yolande Daniels, Architecture at Home, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art MIT Center for Art Media and TechnologyCrystal Bridges Museum debuts five house prototypes that take on Northwest Arkansas’s housing crisis (The Architect’s Newspaper)The Open Hand: A Conversation with the Descendants of Biddy MasonWhat’s in a street name? LA’s forgotten Calle de los Negros (KCRW) – refers to the 1871 anti-Chinese massacre in downtown Los Angeles and the forthcoming memorial designed by Sze Tsung Nicolás Leong and Judy Chui-Hua Chung. How Can We Create Communities of Care? Projects by architect Sekou Cooke and designer J. Yolande Daniels explore how architecture can nurture people and communities.A Glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven: the Azusa Street Revival (PBS) Credits:Logo design: still room (www.still-room.com)Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram)Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.comProduced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban DesignProduction team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Monica Lamela, Quynh NguyenCreator, Executive Producer, and Host: Emmanuelle BourlierThis podcast was recorded on unceded Chumash and Tongva land.© 2024 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACESwww.laforum.org
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    42 mins
  • BONUS: Mike the PoeT reads Los Angeles A to Z

    BONUS: Mike the PoeT reads Los Angeles A to Z
    Feb 29 2024

    Discover more of Mike’s work via his instagram, and Linktree, and find other relevant links in the show notes for his original interview with art critic Shana Nys Dambrot (E14). For Shana’s bio and her Five Places L.A. interview, check out Episode 12, here. “Los Angeles A to Z” is a poem included in Mike Sonksen’s beautiful tribute to Los Angeles, “Letters to My City”, the second edition of which was just published by Writ Large Press in 2023. “The poems and essays in Letters to My City combine two decades of field experience, research, personal observations, and stories told to the author, Mike Sonksen, a third-generation Los Angeles native, by his grandfather and other family members, to interrogate all sides of Los Angeles, its streets, its people, its neighborhoods, as a means to examine the postmodern metropolis.”
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    4 mins
  • 14: (+2) Mike the PoeT by Shana Nys Dambrot

    14: (+2) Mike the PoeT by Shana Nys Dambrot
    Jan 18 2024
    Discover more of Mike’s work via his instagram, and Linktree, and find other relevant links below in the notes.This is our first “plus-two” interview! In each episode, we ask our interviewees to name someone whom they in turn would choose to ask about the five places that define Los Angeles for them. Artist Laurie Lipton, our episode 8 guest, chose art critic Shana Nys Dambrot as her plus one. To watch or listen to Laurie interview Shana about her five places, check out her interview and episode here. Shana then chose Mike, making this our first plus-two. Stay tuned for Mike’s extraordinary interviewee, who will be our first plus-three.Show notes and Mike’s Five Places:1.      Cascades park in Monterey park.2.      Beyond Baroque, Venice. Mike also mentions: the LA-founded punk band X, the extraordinary Wanda Coleman, aka “the L.A. Blueswoman”, Scott Wannburg, S.A. Griffin, Tom Waits, Allan Ginsberg, Michael C. Ford, and Jim Morrison.3.      Judy Baca’s Great Wall of Los Angeles, about which Mike has recorded this video: “Whose Story Do We Tell?”  Also mentioned: Stefano Block, the graffiti artist formerly known as CISCO, and the bell hooks book All About Love.4.      Los Angeles City Hall. Also mentioned, Phillipe’s restaurant, since 1908!5.      Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Temple in Boyle Heights. East First street. Brooklyn Avenue. Nisei week festival in Little Tokyo.Honorable mentions:Leimert Park VillageSuehiro restaurant in Little Tokyo and Robert Vargas muralCerritos LibrarySpoon House Japanese Italian restaurant in Gardena – whether you like Japanese Italian-food or not, this Jonathan Gold review is a joy to read.Whom would you choose to ask about their Five Places? The great Lynell George.Related Links / Also Mentioned in this episode:Mike Sonksen’s prose poem: “For Mike Davis”Joan DidionRobert Arenevar – muralistThe Roots’ Illadelph Halflife album for sunset drives.“Seven Books to Help Understand Judith Baca’s Great Wall of Los Angeles and L.A. Itself”, by Mike SonksenMemorial to the Victims of the 1871 Chinese MassacreGlenn Kaino’s show, Aki’s Market, at the Japanese American MuseumThe Hood HistorianHuell Howser, as Mike says “respected human dignity. He let others shine.”bell hooks’ book  All About LoveMarugame Monzo Japanese fusion restaurantPage Against the Machine bookstoreD. J. WaldieJulia Cameron and The Artist’s WayNatalie GoldbergLynell GeorgeRuben MartinezBrian Cross Credits:Logo design: still room (www.still-room.com)Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram)Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.comProduced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban DesignProduction team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Quynh NguyenCreator, Executive Producer, and Host: Emmanuelle BourlierThis podcast was recorded on Chumash and Tongva land.© 2024 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACESwww.laforum.org
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 13: Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter

    13: Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter
    Nov 2 2023
    Show notes and Ingalill’s Five Places:1.10,000ft above LA (preferably in a small aircraft, but also in a commercial plane)2. Grand Park, designed by Deborah Sussman / SussmanPrejza3. Angel City Football Club games at Gensler-designed BMO stadium, and the walk from Metro, through Exposition Park with the Rose Garden, the CAAM, the upcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and the Coliseum.4. The back yard, in general, Ingalill’s family’s back yard in particular, and the view from her deck which includes the DWP Building, the  Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles City Hall, and Dodger Stadium.5. Community colleges in general, ELAC in particular, whose campus includes the Vincent Price Art Museum by Arquitectonica, EYRC student center building. HGA, house & Robertson. Los Angeles Mission renovation by W-ROAD.Downtown Library Art (Docent Tours).Honorable Mentions: The Downtown Public Library, The Whiskey a Gogo, Busch gardens, Hollywood Blvd.Whom would you choose to ask about their Five Places? Ingalill’s students, and also: Barbara Bestor, Doris Sung, Carmen Suero, Demar Matthews.Interview Date: 08-08-23 Related Links / Also Mentioned in this episode:Lawrence Weschler, “L.A. Glows,” The New Yorker, February 15, 1998.Rebecca Ellis, Julia Wick, “Downtown L.A.’s Grand Park to be renamed in honor of longtime Supervisor Gloria Molina,” The Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2023.Alissa Walker, “The Designer Who Helped Give LA its Look,” The New York Times’ T Magazine, December 17, 2013Christopher Hawthorne, “Deborah Sussman Loves L.A. (and She Always Has),” Metropolis, March 12, 2014.Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, “DEBORAH SUSSMAN (1931–2014),” ARTFORUM, October 15, 2014Oliver Wainwright, “More is More: The Gaudy Genius of the Late Deborah Sussman,” The Guardian, August 27, 2014.Diana Budds, “The Woman Who Made The 1984 Olympics A Masterpiece Of Design,” Fast Company, May 18, 2016.The Los Angeles Olympics project overview, Sussman Prejza.Emma Kemp, “Meet Angel City FC, the women’s team owned by Natalie Portman and a host of stars,” The Sydney Morning Herald, August 5, 2023.HBO special on Angel City Football https://www.hbo.com/angel-cityJen Carlson, “Photos: The Charming Mid-Century Dingbats Of Los Angeles,” LAist, Sep 7, 2015.DINGBAT 2.0: THE ICONIC LOS ANGELES AS A PROJECTION OF METROPOLIS, a Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design publicationM. Nolan Gray, “The UCLA Students Who Live in Their Cars,” The Atlantic, August 3, 2023.Liam Dillon, “‘Gimme Shelter’: California’s housing crisis forces college students into homelessness,” The Los Angeles Times, Nov 17, 2022.Visual Intelligence by Amy Sherman, with a Deborah Sussman graphic design on the coverKCRW Sounds LA Credits:Ingalill’s headshot photo: Monica Nouwens (graphic treatment by Anali Gharakhani)Logo design: still room (www.still-room.com)Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram)Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.comProduced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban DesignProduction team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Quynh NguyenCreator, Executive Producer, and Host: Emmanuelle BourlierThis podcast was recorded on Chumash and Tongva land.© 2022 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACESwww.laforum.org
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    54 mins
  • 12: (+1) Shana Nys Dambrot by Laurie Lipton

    12: (+1) Shana Nys Dambrot by Laurie Lipton
    Sep 21 2023

    This is our third “plus-one” interview. In each episode, we ask our interviewees to name someone whom they in turn would choose to ask about the five places that define Los Angeles for them.  Artist Laurie Lipton, our Episode 08 guest, chose art critic Shana Nys Dambrot as her plus one, and this is their wonderful conversation.

    Show notes and  Shana’s five places:

    1. Chateau Marmont (in the 80s and 90s). 

    2. Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine (Palisades). 

    3. Downtown Library Art (Docent Tours). 

    4. Getty Villa (and Getty Center).

    5. L.A. Flower Mart, and Shana recommends the Poppy and Rose cafe next door. 

    Honorable Mention: Tales of the American (documentary on the American Hotel). 

     

    Related Links / Also Mentioned in this episode:

    William Douglas Lee, architect of the Chateau Marmont

    Art and Architecture of the Downtown Central Library and Maguire Gardens

    Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his wife, famed choreographer Anna Halprin

    The Mark Taper Forum at the Downtown Central Library

    Fountain Design at the Downtown Central Library

     

    Credits:

    Logo design: still room (www.still-room.com)

    Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram)

    Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.com

    Produced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design

    Production team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Anali Gharakhani, Quynh Nguyen

    Creator and Host: Emmanuelle Bourlier

    This podcast was recorded on Chumash and Tongva land.

    © 2022 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACES

    www.laforum.org

     
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    46 mins
  • 11: Gary Baseman

    11: Gary Baseman
    Aug 17 2023
    Watch this episode on YouTube  |follow us on instagramLos Angeles native Gary Baseman is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the human condition through fine art, illustration, performance, film, fashion, and toy design. Known for his raw style and humor, his art has appeared in international publications (The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, TIME, Rolling Stone), games and toys (Cranium), digital collectibles (VeVe), and in the ABC/Disney animated series and feature film “Teacher’s Pet,” for which he was creator and executive producer. Baseman’s awards include multiple Emmys, a British Academy of Film & Television Arts award, and Fulbright and Sundance New Frontier fellowships. His many brand collaborations include COACH, Lladro, and Dr. Martens. His fine art has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America.  We highly recommend watching this episode on our YouTube channel, as Gary shows several of his extraordinary drawings onscreen, his cat Bosko drops in several times, and we have embedded photographs from Gary’s long history in LA into the video. Big thanks to Gary for sharing his art, his photos, and his stories so generously.  Show notes and  Gary ’s five places Canter’s DeliFairfax district: Pan Pacific auditorium, Pan Pacific movie theatre, and bowling alley. Gilmore drive in, Kiddieland, Tail o’ the Pup, Original Farmer’s Market, CBS Studios. Many of the buildings Gary remembers no longer exist. This neighborhood guide and this post by The Hundreds dig into the history.La Brea Tar PitsThe Witch’s House aka the Spadena House (though Gary nearly chose “his hill” in Griffith Park)Musso + FrankRelated Links / Also Mentioned in this episodeDiscover more of Gary’s work on his website and instagramWoody Allen’s “Annie Hall”: The New Yorker’s view of Los AngelesRemembering Beverly Park and KiddielandBeverly Park and Ponyland: The 'Kiddieland' that Inspired Walt DisneyThe Carol Burnett show, and The Price is Right. The Formosa CaféGenghis CohenChateau MarmontThe Griffith ObservatoryThe Mamas & The PapasJim Heimann and his many books on CaliforniaHistory and photos of the Pan Pacific Auditorium (1935, architects Wurdeman & Becket) and Pan Pacific Movie Theatre (opened 1942, architect William L. Pereira).A Pan Pacific history from the perspective of Scotty Moore, studio and touring guitarist for Elvis Presley between 1954 and 1968.Annie Hall driving scene in which the Gilmore drive-in appears at timestamp 1:06CBS television City (1952, architects Pereira & Luckman) The tastes that define LA for Gary Baseman: The martini at Musso &Frank; the potato knish with gravy, or the chocolate rugelach at Canter's, the enchiladas Howard at El Coyote.  Credits:All photos © Gary Baseman 2023 unless otherwise notedLogo design: still room (www.still-room.com)Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram)Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.comProduced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban DesignProduction team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Anali Gharakhani, Quynh NguyenCreator and Host: Emmanuelle BourlierThis podcast was recorded on Chumash, Tongva and Micqanaqa’n land.© 2022 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACESwww.laforum.org
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    50 mins
  • 10: Julie Eizenberg

    10: Julie Eizenberg
    May 18 2023
    Show notes and Julie’s five places:This interview was recorded on March 30, 20231. Beach (ex: Santa Monica beach)2. Topography of hills and plains (as you might see from the Griffith Observatory): a mythical place with elusive edges3. Distinctive and walkable neighborhoods (Santa Monica, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Arts District, Atwater Village, mid-Wilshire, pockets of the Valley, Sierra Madre, West Ventura) Cuernavaca café on Ventura avenue.4. Strip malls, with their ephemeral signage, and Park’s barbecue in particular5. Homeless encampments Also mentioned in this episode/related links:KoningEizenberg on instagramKoningEizenberg firm overview videoLA Times neighborhood mapping project - most of the distinctive and walkable neighborhoods mentioned by Julie are included in this project.Disney Concert HallEames House (Case Study House No.8)Reyner Banham and Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four EcologiesJonathan GoldJoan Didion on Driving as Secular Worship and Self-Transcendence (The Marginalian)Julie Eizenberg interviewed in Madame ArchitectThe Right Touch, article on KoningEizenberg by Christopher Hawthorne in Metropolis MagazineFive Places L.A. LISTENER SURVEY!Credits:Logo design: still room (www.still-room.com)Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram)Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.comProduced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban DesignProduction team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Anali Gharakhani, Quynh NguyenHost: Emmanuelle BourlierThis podcast was recorded on Chumash, Tongva and Micqanaqa’n land.© 2022 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACESwww.laforum.org
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    42 mins
  • 09: (+1) Ron Athey by Lisa Teasley

    09: (+1) Ron Athey by Lisa Teasley
    Apr 13 2023

    (Note: "Athey" is pronounced with a long "A", as in "āi", as opposed to Emmanuelle's short "a" pronunciation in the intro. The episode was recorded in Dec. 2020 and includes mention of recent closings due to the pandemic.) 

    Show notes and Ron ’s five places

    1. Grand Central Market
    2. Griffith Park, with its archery range, zoo, and Autry Museum
    3. Huntington Library and Gardens
    4. Silverlake and Sunset Junction, Tabasco’s, Cliff’s Edge (closed but maybe reopening), Catch one, Pacific Dining Car
    5. Farther afield: The unincorporated community of Zzyzx, California.

    Also mentioned in this episode/ related links

    Five Places L.A.  LISTENER SURVEY!

    The Grapes of Wrath

    Hemet and Pomona

    Mark Steger

    John Rechy

    James Ellroy

    Guardian article on the 2028 Olympics by Jules Boykoff and Dave Zirin: Los Angeles has already ceded too much power to the Olympic machine

    Versailles Cuban chicken

    The unincorporated community ofZzyzx, California.

    Rita D’Albert

    Christopher Knight’s LA Times review of Athey’s 2012 show “Queer Communion: Ron Athey” at ICA LA: Review: ‘Queer Communion’ and the engrossing, squirm-inducing world of Ron Athey
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    22 mins