A 24-piece freewheeling jazz orchestra, Killsonic, will lead a procession from the De Neve residence hall to the historic Royce Hall today at 6:30 p.m. to begin UCLA’s three-day arts weekend extravaganza.
The weekend will be filled with a wide variety of art mediums including music, fashion, hands-on creativity, galleries, one-of-a-kind film screenings and some of the best cultural food catering in Los Angeles.
Kicking off the jam session and officially starting the weekend in Kerckhoff Grand Salon at noon today is a live performance by Restavrant, an electro-country-punkster band.
Then at 6:30 p.m., the procession is set to leave from De Neve and travel toward Royce, though there are some concerns about rain. Once at Royce, the music will continue with a live performance by Avi Buffalo, a Long Beach-based indie rock band with a large following in Los Angeles. Inside of Royce Hall, there will be tours of the building and a demonstration of the acclaimed Skinner Pipe Organ.
“(This event) was inspired by the fact that the majority of UCLA students leave the university without entering this historic building,” said Theo Bonner-Perkins, UCLA Live’s Student Committee for the Arts adviser.
From 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Fowler Museum, students can check out Chicago-based artist Nick Cave and his exhibit of elaborate “Soundsuits,” human-sized sculptures entirely cloaked in materials like sequins, buttons and even hair.
“The remarkably diverse Soundsuits are named for the sounds (they produce) when or if the suits are worn,” said Stacey Abarbanel, director of communications at the Fowler Museum.
With inspiration showcased throughout, students will get a hands-on chance to embellish their own version of a Soundsuit with materials ranging from yarn to pom-poms and more, using American Apparel-provided socks.
Switching from fashion to film, Saturday begins at the Billy Wilder Theater in the UCLA Film and Television Archive, located in the courtyard level of the Hammer Museum.
The Visual Effects Society Awards Sneak Peek leads the afternoon from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. with a celebration of the nominees for this eighth annual ceremony, taking students behind the scenes of the past year’s most alluring effects in mediums ranging from film and television to commercials and video games.
“The Archive (wants to) introduce to students the cultural resources and events and institutions that are available and open to them,” said Paul Malcolm, film programmer for the Film and Television Archive. “The Billy Wilder Theater is open to the general public, and sometimes we have guests fly in from all around the world in order to view (our) particularly rare prints. This is something that’s right next door for the UCLA student population.”
Under the leadership of resident artist Mark Allen, director of “Machine Project,” the Hammer will offer a number of hands-on, do-it-yourself workshops Saturday night such as a photo booth, a VJ workshop where students can learn to use cutting-edge imaging and sound software, and a laser maze that creates a real-life video game.
“We really wanted students to get engaged with all spaces of the museum ““ and possibly get a little taste of what is to come from Mark by sampling a small-plates offering of all activities, … from workshops to classes to the exhibitions,” said Susan Yank, assistant director of academic programs at the Hammer.
Wrapping up the weekend on Sunday at Covel Commons from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. is a chance for students to relive their experiences from the weekend and celebrate their own creativity with a vibrant student showcase.