As the drought in Southern California carries on in its fourth punishing year, depleting groundwater reserves and demanding large scale restrictions on usage, Californians are regularly forced to confront and appraise the more unsustainable aspects of contemporary American life. For some residents, it may mean washing their vehicles less frequently, or not filling the swimming pool this summer.

For others, it might mean swapping their natural lawn for a simulated version. As The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have recently attested, the demand for artificial turf (commonly referred to by the brand name AstroTurf) is on the rise…

by Ian Besler

i. Two Square Miles of Paint

Last year the Office of Community Beautification in Los Angeles oversaw enough painting in its efforts at graffiti removal to have covered each letter of the Hollywood Sign with roughly nine inches of solid paint — about 1,800 variously colored coats rolled out across the face of each of the four-story tall letters.

Since the Office’s internal statistics take into account the three common methods of graffiti removal: painting, chemical washing, and pressure blasting, that hypothetical figure is probably a bit conservative. But if half of the graffiti removal that the Office oversees is accomplished by painting…

Promotional Campaigns
and Infrastructural Props

In an effort to promote the retrospective “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star,” which was on exhibit between February and May, 2013, The New Museum in New York commissioned Manhattan-based creative agency Droga5, known in the advertising industry for its forward-thinking marketing approaches, to create a campaign. Most campaigns of this nature would center around a series of billboards, bus wraps, or internet advertisements. …

Panoramic Vision, Earth Browsing,
and Model Making

The city of Google Los Angeles is bursting with palm trees, edged by sparkling beaches, and even features a Hollywood sign, much like the conventional Los Angeles that many people know so well from film and television.

There’s a bustling port at its south end, teaming with massive cargo ships and the spectrum color palette of thousands of stacked, corrugated shipping containers. There’s a valley sprawling with single-family homes, light industrial warehouses, and car dealerships at its north end. …

or: Some (Scale) Models That I’d Like to Know

I. The Scale Model as Spiritual Redemption

Why look for two-dimensional forms to fit orbits in space? One has to look for three-dimensional forms — and, behold, dear reader, now you have my discovery in your hands!

What is the role of the scale modeler? And what are the intentions of the maker? Conventionally, the scale model is created for an architectural proposal — as a stand-in or approximation used to gain approval for the building itself. However, viewed as a critical design artifact within a cultural context, the scale model can pose questions about the implications of making by hand, the manipulation of scale with which…