Think

Happy holidays from Pink Cloud!

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:04:00 GMT

For the holidays this year, we're giving you something better than an iTunes gift card or a new Android phone. We're giving you a gift that keeps on giving, one that you can share with your friends, and one that will hopefully inspire. Remember those origami fortune tellers of your youth? Well, enjoy our grown-up version, share it with your friends, bring it to your office holiday party.

Happy holidays from the Pink Cloud team!!

Into the Heart of the Sun

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:08:00 GMT

Last weekend, a very special show opened at the Fifth Floor Gallery in Los Angeles. Into the Heart of the Sun is an exhibit of artist Leonardo Bravo’s most recent works—using paper, gouache, and other wet media.

The works are incredible as they don’t directly illustrate their subjects—music and the cultures that have been defined by it—but they evoke them all the same.

And the artist is especially special to us as we’ve got one of his inspiring pieces in our Pink Cloud offices!

Into the Heart of the Sun is open through December 17, 2011.

Hours: Thursday-Sunday - 12-6pm or by appointment

Fifth Floor

502 Chung King Court

Los Angeles, CA 90012

DIY Event Design: A Bouquet Fit for a Bride

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:31:00 GMT

When we recently produced our dear client Esther’s wedding, we took on the role of florist as well as producer and had a blast executing this creative element to the day.

For Esther’s 1920s themed wedding at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica, we were working with a palette of purply and dusty colors as well as a rich inspiration board of silent movie era imagery.

To match these hues, we found the perfect flowers in purple roses, ivory and purple lilies, and gorgeous hydrangeas. From these varied florals, we created not only table centerpieces but also the bride’s bouquet, corsages for the bridal party, boutonnieres for the gents, and a giant centerpiece to be showcased outside the house.

For those creating their own florals at home, there are certainly no shortage of YouTube how-to videos for your DIY pleasure. But the essential keys are:

• Have fun.

• Select a bigger flower [like our hydrangeas] as a base.

• Grab fillers to put between your colorful and more special florals.

• You can add to the design elements with either colorful stones at the bottom of the vases or large leaves that wrap the inside of the vase’s base.

• Many cities have floral marts where you can go explore and pick up flowers for experimenting before the big occasion.

• Did we mention have fun?

[Image Credits: Cooper Bates Photography]

LA’s Newest Venue: elysian LA

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:38:00 GMT

Between nightclubs, hotel ballrooms and mansions, there is no shortage of event space in Los Angeles. But we have felt what amounts to a shortage of intimacy at these spaces. That’s why we were thrilled by the opportunity to be on the ground of the East Side’s newest venue, elysian. Located in LA’s Elysian Valley neighborhood, the space is part converted warehouse, part garden, and in every way beautiful.

elysian’s proprietor, David Thorne, is known for his culinary chops (he has worked in the kitchens of the upscale Canele and Ammo, as well as in the fields of more down and dirty dairy farms) and the open kitchen space at Elysian reflects this care for cooking.

Pink Cloud is proud to be working with the venue on development and booking and we’d absolutely love to show you around, introduce you to the space’s family, and talk about the possibilities for hosting your next event here.

You also won’t want to miss out on the public events which non profit arts org, Clockshop will soon be hosting here.

Recently, we hosted a lunch at elysian for some of our favorite friends and event vendors, including Casa de Perrin, Owl Valet and Handsome Coffee. Take a look at let us know if you’d like to visit in person!

What to do this weekend in LA...

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:21:00 GMT

For a $10 good look on the Eastside:

Friday (free) - Hunt the FACEHUNTER, Yvan Rodic, who will have an exhibit opening at Space 15 Twenty.

Saturday ($10) - dublab is celebrating their 12th Anniversary at ATX in Atwater.

For a $260 time warp on the West side:

Friday ($10) - Check out the Vintage Fashion Expo and bring your most stylish costume to the Haunted Play with us next weekend.

Saturday ($250) - The Eames Foundation has re-staged the living room of the Eames House exactly as it was when Ray and Charles first moved in. Be the first to walk through the Time Machine.

Pink Cloud Party Preview: Haunted Play Presents Delusion

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:17:00 GMT

The only thing we enjoy better than dressing up an event is dressing up ourselves. We never did outgrow Halloween and the opportunity the holiday provides to create fantasy worlds with costumes and décor. That’s why we are so thrilled to be producing LA’s most exciting, frightening Halloween event—Delusion, presented by Haunted Play.

Delusion is of a new breed of immersive theatre—one in which the audience no longer plays the part of passive observer, but rather helps to shape its interaction with the drama. This interactive Halloween experience was developed by Hollywood stuntman, Jon Braver and Delusion will mark his 4th event, making him a a seasoned pro in the art of fright. And if anyone can scare us, it’s a man who does scary for a living.

Hosted at a century old mansion in the Historic West Adams district of Los Angeles, the entire venue’s a stage for fright, fun and fantasy. Part theatre, part haunted house, entirely frightful—this is an event you’d be ghoulish to miss…ghoulish, it rhymes with foolish, get it…okay, maybe that one fell flat.

Also, we should mention, Delusion will mark Pink Cloud’s very first Halloween event. Which is more fun than frightening. And just another reason to get your costume and your scream ready.

More information and tickets for Delusion are available at hauntedplay.com.

Groups of 10 or more receive 20% off. A scary good deal!

When: October 19 – 31, 2011, Shows between 7 p – 12 a nightly

Price: $40

2218 S. Harvard Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90018

Ms. Vaginal Davis on her Work, her Inspiration & What to Expect at Next Week's Tresspassparty

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:44:00 GMT

Image Credit: ZacKary Drucker

Next Monday, October 3rd, we are so excited to be welcoming the planet's most versatile drag queen cum performance artist cum leader of the band, Ms. Vaginal Davis back to Los Angeles to MC the Pink Cloud produced Tresspassparty for nonprofit arts org, West of Rome. Ms Davis' participation in the event is sure to turn it from dance party to magical experience.

Ms. Davis took some time out from her creative life in Berlin to speak with Pink Cloud about her work, her role as a muse to some of fashion, photography and music's most legendary artists, and her upcoming role as West of Rome's bomb MC.

Pink Cloud: Your work seems to be limited to no one medium. You’ve been on the stage and screen in drag, as a member of the band, and as an actor. One can find your video work on YouTube and your written commentary in major alt papers. Which canvas have you found to be the most conducive to unhindered expression?

Ms. Vaginal Davis: My medium is the indefinite nature of my own whimsy. I am not a commercial or careerist oriented artist. I can´t be co-opted by the entertainment complex and i ts slippery mechanics because my work is too raw and not slick enough to be packaged and disseminated to the masses. My musical projects while living in Los Angeles: The Afro Sisters, Cholita the female Menudo, black fag, Pedro, Muriel & Esther (PME), and in Berlin: Ruth Fischer and Tenderloin are all art bands that go in and out of hiatus and were never done with the goal of achieving pop music success, recognition or fame. I am not an actor---I couldn't act my way out of a bag of potato chips. I am a performer, who writes and directs short format performative pieces on video that act as a collaging of my interest in breaking taboos, hierarchies dealing with race, class and gender. Since i work with humour and I am not dogmatic in the way i present the work and so it gets misinterpreted as some kind of exercise in camp. But I am so not camp. I am mainly a visual artist who crosses the interdisciplinary divide in a raggle taggle Gypsy-O like manner.

Have you met an artist in Berlin that Americans would be remiss not to know about?

I think that Susanne Sachsse the East Berlin intermedia actress, director and leader of the art kollective CHEAP is a geniuses genius Americans need to know about.

You are both an accomplished artist and a muse to so many legendary contemporary artists. Most of us don’t know what it takes to be a muse. I, for one, can safely say I’ve never inspired so much as a doodle. How would you describe your role as subject and inspiration for, let’s say, photographer Catherine Opie?

Since childhood I have lived life as a walking installation piece. My very being is situated in tableaux. Gifted artists like Catherine Opie, Beth Ditto of Gossip or fashion designer Rick Owens just naturally gravitate to me. Also I'm usually the tallest person in any room.

Your work is eye-opening for a lot of people. Whose work is currently opening your eyes?

The Norweigan directing and set design pair of Vagard Venge and Ida Müller who only do adaptations of Ibsen have remade theatre in my opinion. I work on the stage but don´t really care for traditional theatre. I've only ever seen one Broadway musical and that was Carol Channing in one of Hello Dolly´s umpteenth revivals. She was great! So olde school she is new school. Venge & Müller are the most exciting thing to emerge since Reza Abdul in the early 1990s. The artists that helped formulate my aesthetic: Kenneth Anger, Pier Paolo Passolini, Jean Genet, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Dorothy Arzner, Elsa Maxwell, Kay Thompson, Radcliffe Hall, Valerie Solanis, Gore Vidal, Sal Mineo, Ruth St. Denis, Eugenie De Guerin and Ingeborg Bachmann

On October 3rd you will be hosting and MCing West of Rome’s fundraising Dance Party in Los Angeles. What do guests have most to look forward to there?

I am not a normative vision of the classic master of ceremonies. Everything I do is quite quirky and at times a bit surreal, plus you never know what kind of spirit creatures or entities I will be channeling. Something strange and murky may pop out from one of my many gaping holes. I hope to rouse the crowd at historic Union Station in a subtle, not shrill manner. Hopefully I will encourage them to rethink how they process art, sex and revolution as advanced capitalism and danger capitalism gobbles up and dulls the planet.

Catch Ms. Vaginal Davis and her army of spirit creatures next week, along with performances by Arto Lindsay, Phranc and JD Samson of Le Tigre, at Tresspassparty. Tickets are available online now.

AR TryLive Photo Shoot

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:30:00 GMT

Last week we threw together a photo shoot in 7 days for one of our clients, Total Immersion, for their demo of a new piece of software they've perfected called TryLive. From any devices equipped with a camera (PC, tablets, and smartphones) whether in an outlet, at home or on the move, the various applications available from Try Live help bridge the gap between viewing and actually trying on the product by acting as a virtual showroom. Pretty cool...

Big thanks to our crew:

Josh Madson (photographer)

Cristy Giselle (hair)

Sarah Jane Aumentado (make-up)

And of course thanks to our models who answered the call: Sabrina Mo, Bri Alyssa, Maria del Carmen (seen above), Maggie Henry, Asia Dee, Ingel Catindig, Peter Bailey, Marshall Justice, and Kristine Mirelle.

We had a lot of fun - looking forward to the next shoot!

Giving Whilst Eating: $5 for 52 Dinners Out

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:49:00 GMT

Occasionally Pink Cloud comes across an organization that is doing such wonderful work, that is so special, that we feel compelled to tell you about it. The Virginia Avenue Project is such an organization—its has touched our hearts and more importantly, it has touched the community of Los Angeles and its children. The Project and its team of 100 volunteers provide arts mentorship to children age 6 and up, forging relationships that often last through the mentees’ high school years. The organization boasts a 100% graduation rate of its mentees from high school. And if there is such thing as proof of a youth mentoring org’s success, we can’t imagine more impressive evidence.

While there are many ways to support the incredible work of the Virginia Avenue Project including donations, attending the Project’s regular performances, and volunteering, we simply can’t resist the latest fundraising efforts of the organization—a drawing that is as tasty as it is philanthropic. The $5 for “52 Dinner for a Year” Drawing offers supporters the chance to win 52 gift certificates for meals for two to some of LA’s best restaurants. And entry into the drawing is a mere $5. That’s $5 to support the important education of our city’s youth and also to win dinner for you and a pal for an entire year. That appeals to the side of us that hates cooking some nights as much as it does our desire to help out the very worthy Project. As the LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold wrote, this "might be the best foodie raffle in the history of, well, foodie raffles." Well put, Jonathan, well put.

For a chance to win dinner for a year, call Simon at (310) 264-4224 or email Simon@VirginiaAvenueProject.org

Interactive Performance Art Meets Picnic Dinner

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 22:05:00 GMT

For over two decades, Diner en Blanc has treated Parisians to the kind of stealth fun that only secrecy and exclusivity provide. In Montreal, the fun began just two years ago. And in New York, Gothamists received their first taste of Diner en Blanc just this past Summer.

Despite the exclusivity of the invites and the secrecy that shrouds the event, Diner en Blanc is, at its heart, a community event. What might at first glance look like just another White Party (you know the kind—pool party, tight, short skirts, nary a little black dress in sight) is actually a well-organized, oil machine of what is essentially the largest and most elusive potluck dinner in the world. Potential guests request an invitation. Only some receive one. And that is just the beginning. Selected party-goers are tasked not only with bringing food to share but also tables, chairs, plates, silverware, and the works. And for residents of major metropolises, this is no easy task.

In this participatory way of event going, guests share in the experience of planning (in NY, guests even shared in the cost of permitting) and that makes the experience all the sweeter. In a time when events are thrown by the dozen, free booze falls off shelves for guests, and expectations for event entertainment have grown to concert-like proportions, it is actually the event that the guest must work for, even pay for, that has become the most exciting. It turns out that even the most jaded of us still crave communal, shared experiences.

We like to think it’s a sign that people are ready for more community driven, interactive experiences—the kind that permit guests to create and shape their own fun, not just stand numb to it while it’s handed to them in a champagne flute on a silver serving platter.

New Venue Alert Space Abbot Kinney Opening

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:53:00 GMT

Last Thursday, Pink Cloud was invited to the opening of Space Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA. This newly renovated 3,100 sq. ft. penthouse is perfect for hip, urban, parties and weddings and is situated right on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Wonderful mixology drinks were provided by The British Bartenders, floral decor by Wisteria Lane, event photography by Jen OSullivan, and catering by Made By Meg. Some features include:

+Outdoor deck overlooking Abbot Kinney
+Private VIP entrance and parking with Valet available
+Flexible capacity with up to 150 seated and 250 for cocktail parties
+State of the art AV equipment with a 10′ viewing screen with theatre sound
+Optional stage and musical instruments

August 20: Aardvark Loteria Show

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:21:00 GMT

Check out this upcoming show of Aardvark Letterpress' Loteria Exhibit, we hope you'll RSVP and join us on the 20th!

Sometimes, I love meetings

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:21:00 GMT

Sometimes, meetings are awfully boring (well, not always in our world... actually, hmm... yeah, our meetings are kind of fun all the time...). This one, an informal design meeting about the launch of our new venue space, is so much fun... three highly creative individuals (David of Chopshop with Christopher and Leo of Small Green Door) with all different specialties feeling ideas out. Oh, and not to forget Banjo the Wonder Dog who brings his own specialness to the discussion. :)

Happy Birthday Sarah!!!

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:57:00 GMT

Thank you Shizu Saldamando for introducing me to Sarah Shewey a little over a year ago! Thank you for creating a really beautiful and sentimental piece that closes the chapter to me and Sarah's first year working together, and opening new doors for many years to come! Happy Birthday Sarah!!!

a peek at dublab's photobooth backdrop tonight

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:21:00 GMT

Can't wait to jump in the dublab dinner photobooth with Theo and Grace tonight! Here's a tiny little peek at the awesome backdrop that Kiel Johnson made for us this year.... far out, huh? See last year's photobooth experience with Theo, Grace, and Teebs here.