Hammer Blog

Diana Al-Hadid in her studio. Photo by Dorothy Hong.

This interview was conducted by electronic mail. Questions were composed by the Hammer’s multimedia fellow Sasha Mann. Look for more information on Diana Al-Hadid's Hammer Project here.

SM: What led you to pursue sculpture in your artistic career?
DAH: When I first committed myself to sculpture, I was at Kent State for my undergraduate. I was first a drawing major because it seemed to be the most wide-open , the most non-denominational of the departments (I’m not sure why I felt that vibe, in fact, but nonetheless..). And of course, like I think most other artists, I was drawing before I did anything else. Then I changed to sculpture after my first class because I loved experimenting with materials and I loved imagining places and worlds I could build- it felt more limitless than anything, and more challenging to me

Saturday, September 4 & Sunday, September 5, 1-5pm
Level5

Level5 is a live action role playing performance piece by Brody Condon, based on the Bay Area self actualization seminars of the 1970’s. Condon’s work draws together disparate communities – performative folk artists, performance artists, and practioners of experimental theater – to explore the construction of the self. In this two day participatory piece, fifty players will transform via the characters, or alibis, that they assume.

Visitors are welcomed to watch Level5live-streamed video to the Billy Wilder Theater on Saturday and Sunday from 1-5pm.


Saturday, September 4, 1-4pm
Little William Theater Festival of New Music

This week the clarinet duo, James Sullivan and Brian Walsh, will play new compositions commissioned especially for the Festival.

The Festival of New Music comprises four resident ensembles, 96 composers, 350+ new works, and over 400 concerts inside a coatroom, under the stairs in the

SATURDAY, August 21st
HOUSEPLANT VACATION
1-4:00pm Lindbrook Terrace

Performance schedule for plants:
1-2pm
Haruko Tanaka, one half of the artist intuitive duo Krystal Krunch, will conduct a follow up to Krystal Krunch partner, Asher Hartman's August 7th visit. She will check in with the plants and relay any energetic messages received.

2-3pm
Laura Steenberge will address the plants with a battery of readings specially tailored to maximize plant efficacy

3-4pm
Robert Crouch will perform an improvised sound work exploring the intersection of music, public space, and landscape. His performance will incorporate a collection of processed field recordings culled from a variety of sources including Hollywood Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park, and a recent performance by artist Julie Tolentino.

Sublamp (Los Angeles based artist Ryan Connor) uses sampled string instruments and a selection of field recordings to create a slowly evolving time-based map of an imagined landscape. This audio map

Houseplants in need of a vacation came to the Hammer to hydrate, rejuvenate, and pose for post-spa portraits by conceptual artist Lisa Anne Auerbach.

A Hammer regular, Lisa organized the very first Bike Night at the Hammer and was in the Hammer exhibition Nine Lives. She is a local bike enthusiast, sweater slogan maker, and avid blogger.

Here is a behind-the-scenes tour of our houseplant haven, plus houseplants all spruced up!



Lisa prepares a plant for the camera.



This plant is ready for its close-up.



A plant gets some last-minute touch-ups before it sits for the camera.



Good little plant.



A plant in hair and make-up.



"I can't work like this!"



Sometimes candid is better.



"Wait, get me from my good side."



"Sometimes the humidity makes my hair fall flat."



"Really? It makes mine stick out all over the place."



Plants were treated to complimentary

HOUSEPLANT VACATION
1-4:30pm Lindbrook Terrace

Performance schedule for plants:
1-2pm - Kristina Faragher will perform a meditative tarot read by drawing a card for every plant and interpreting the symbolism
2-3pm - Anthony McCann and Kirsty Singer will read poems both for plants and about plants
3-4pm - The musical group ing (John Wood and Max Markowitz) will play music for plants
4-4:30pm - Jonathon Keats will give artist talk for plants about his Plant Pornography series


THIS WEEK IN THE LITTLE WILLIAM THEATER
1-4pm

The Festival of New Music continues in the Little William Theater.
The Festival of New Music comprises four resident ensembles, 96 composers, 350+ new works, and over 400 concerts inside a coatroom, under the stairs in the lobby of the Hammer Museum. All works have been commissioned for this festival and are under two minutes in length. Concerts are every Saturday from August through