Explore the complex interrelationship between art and architecture in the public sphere of cities, and unorthodox ways of engaging the public. Joshua Decter, director of the Master of Public Art Studies Program at USC, will moderate a panel featuring Anne Pasternak, president and artistic director of Creative Time, New York; Los Angeles–based artist Doug Aitken; and Los Angeles–based architect Peter Zellner.

This event will be presented as part of the series, “Participation and Friction: Rethinking Art and Architecture as Public Culture.” The series features conversations between contemporary artists, architects, social theorists, curators, historians and other cultural producers on how contemporary art and architecture utilize unusual methods of participation and processes of collaboration to navigate the social and political frictions of today’s urban public spheres.

About the Participants:

Widely known for his innovative fine art installations, Doug Aitken is at the frontier of 21st century communication. Utilizing a wide array of artistic approaches, Aitken’s eye leads us into a world where time, space and memory are fluid concepts. Aitken has had many exhibitions around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Pompidou Center and the 1999 Venice Biennale, where he won the International Prize for his acclaimed installation Electric Earth. 

Anne Pasternak is the president and artistic director of Creative Time in New York. Renowned projects under her direction include exhibitions and performances in the historic Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage, new sculptures in Grand Central Station, paintings in Coney Island, skywriting over Manhattan and the Tribute in Light—the twin beacons of light that illuminated the former World Trade Center site six months after 9/11, in honor of the lives lost there. Pasternak has been committed to initiating projects that give artists the opportunity to innovate their practice, celebrate New York life, and reflect on contemporary society while engaging millions of people with art that permeates everyday urban life. 

Peter Zellner is the founding principal of ZELLNERPLUS, a Los Angeles–based architectural design firm that has executed public and private art galleries, residences, institutional facilities and corporate spaces in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. ZELLNERPLUS spaces include the Sweeney Art Gallery for UC Riverside, the REDCAT Lounge and Bar at Disney Concert Hall, as well as projects for Napster, LAXART, Harris Lieberman and Maccarone Inc. He also coordinates the SCIFI program at SCI-Arc with David Bergman.

The second event in the series, “Architecture, Design, Art: Strategies for Survival,” will be held on Monday, April 6, at 7 p.m. For more information, click here.

Map of Davidson Conference Center: http://web-app.usc.edu/maps/?id=8

Parking: $8.00 per day. Please use parking structure located at Gates 3 and 4. Click here for parking lot map: http://web-app.usc.edu/maps/.

Organized by Joshua Decter, Director, Master of Public Art Studies Program, Roski School of Fine Arts, http://roski.usc.edu/pas/.

Image: Doug Aitken, Sleepwalkers (installation), 2007. Courtesy 303 Gallery, New York; Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Victoria-Miro, London; and Regen Projects, Los Angeles.

For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.edu