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Media Arts Preview, December 16, 2010

By Holly Willis
December 16, 2010
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It's a quiet week, due to the holidays. That said, there are plenty of shows to catch up on if you've missed the openings. Below, two new things, and few not to miss...

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Thursday, December 16
Tonight, the Hammer presents a compilation of short films made in response to Leonard Cohen's album from 1974, "New Skin for the Old Ceremony," curated by Lorca Cohen and Darin Klein. The terrific line-up of filmmakers includes stellar animator Brent Green, Art Center photography grad Tina Tyrell and media artist Theo Angell. Cash bar at 7:00 p.m.; screening at 8:00 p.m. at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. (image: Theo Angell.)

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Friday, December 17
If you haven't visited Art Center's current show, Energy, featuring two large-scale sculptural video installations by LA-based media artist Rebeca Mendez and works by New York-based photograph Richard Barnes, you should! Both projects explore natural forces, a topic dear to Mendez, whose work is visceral and provocative. The gallery will be closed for the holidays starting tomorrow, December 18, but reopens in early January; the show will be on view through January 23, 2011.

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Saturday, December 18
Joel Tauber's three-channel video installation Pumping opens at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projectswith a reception today, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The installation examines the history of trains in Los Angeles, and the ways in which that history connects with water and oil. Tauber is an award-winning LA-based video artist and graduate of Art Center College of Design.
Sunday, December 19
Today's a good day to visit the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena to see Convergences: New Sculptural Media, organized by NewTown and featuring work by a dozen artists, many from LA. The pieces appropriate, dismantle and reconfigure disparate media devices to reflect on the past, present and future of media technologies, creating curious, experimental and interactive artworks. Go soon, though: the show closes January 9, 2011.

Monday, December 20
The International Documentary Association presents a panel discussion on the potential of documentary films to effect actual change. Titled "Doc U: Can Your Doc Really Change the World?" the discussion starts at 7:30 at Cinefamily, with filmmakers Jennifer Arnold, director of A Small Act, and Robert Kenner, director of Food, Inc. Also participating: Cara Mertes from the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, Dennis Palmieri of ITVS, and Sara Hutchison, who will moderate.

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