Machine Project's Allen Talks Shop

In front of a noontime crowd of about sixty people, Machine Project's Mark Allen delivered a multi-media presentation last Friday, January 12, at Farmlab.

The lecture, Q&A, powerpoint, and book show-and-tell session, was part of the weekly Farmlab Salon series. The series happens every Friday, at noon, at the Farmlab headquarters located at 1745 N. Spring Street, Unit #4, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

"An art space is a permissive space," Allen said. He later noted: "I'm interested in how you can use art as a system to investigate certain practices."

Indeed, Allen discussed many of the projects, classes, and exhibitions that his Echo Park venue has previously presented -- and the diverse crowd that the gallery sets out to attract.

As is to be expected during a Machine Projects overview, topics pinballed from oragami to smoke bombs to a couple kissing inside a coffin to DORKBOT to moonshine to fruit jam to pneumatic tubing to sewing.

Allen also noted the various institutional collaborators that have partnered with Machine Projects - that who's who of the Los Angeleno art and science scence included the Institute for Figuring, Materials & Application, Fallen Fruit, and the Echo Park Film Center, among others.