Shacking Up in the OC
If you like to experience art interactively rather than looking at works on a wall, head on down to Laguna Beach. The Laguna Art Museum (LAM) is showcasing the creations of more than two dozen California artists like Don Ed Hardy, Kenny Scharf, Laurie Hassold, Marion Peck, Travis Somerville and Paul Frank– and their take on the “shack” concept. You can walk through most of their installations, including an unusual take on family photos which appear to be floating in water on a rooftop and a disturbing yet thought-provoking experience of workers picking cotton in the Deep South, complete with 3-D photos and a bushel full of the raw material from which so much of our clothing is made. Shacks are the flimsiest, most impermanent form of architecture, if you can call it that. Made of basic materials, in this setting, they allow the artists to narrow the distinction between art and function, object and environment. Sponsored by surfwear company Hurley, the show was curated by Greg Escalante, and includes a functioning tattoo machine. Tying in with the show at Hurley’s nearby store at 225 Forest, you can customize board shorts, T-shirts and Converse sneakers with unique artists’ designs.
Through Oct. 3 at Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach (949) 494-8971, www.lagunaartmuseum.org
