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On the last Sunday of each month, LAVA welcomes interested individuals to gather in downtown Los Angeles (noon-2pm), for a loosely structured conversational Salon featuring short presentations and opportunities to meet and connect with one another. If you’re interested in joining LAVA as a creative contributor or an attendee, we recommend Salon attendance as an introduction to this growing community. Please note that due to ongoing renovation work at Clifton’s Cafeteria, we are moving to a nearby location. 

Special program at the October 30 Salon.

• Science and art can play well together as evidenced in “Circuitry & Poetry” where LAVA Visionary JEFF BOYNTON‘s DIY electronics accompany LAVA Visionary MONA JEAN CEDAR’s communicative arts of dance, poetry and sign language. More black art than science, circuit bending entails the subversive act of ripping open inexpensive electronics devices — ranging from children’s toys to professional keyboard instruments — exposing their circuit boards, and attacking their vulnerable insides by poking, probing, and prodding in the spirit of exploration to search for new sounds which are then activated at will. Mr. Boynton’s deep classical music background influences his performances on these ingenious circuit-bent instruments, providing a soundscape over which Mona Jean Cedar performs. Ms. Cedar creates her singular multi-layered approach to spoken word and movement by composing and choreographing with sign languages, both American and foreign. Concurrently cryptic and clearly communicative, the highly visual nature of sign language exponentially increases the expressiveness of the poetry and the dance. Together their unique talents create performances that astound with sound, pique with poetry and delight with dance. SALON WEEK UPDATE: In proverbial “Good News; Bad News” fashion, Mona Jean Cedar wished to share the following: The “Bad” News is that Jeff Boynton will be unable to join us at the LAVA presentation because — ta da! — he has been chosen to be a finalist in Moog’s (as in synthesizers) 2nd Circuit Bending Contest in Asheville, North Carolina next weekend! In his stead will be fellow bender/musician/actor/partner-in-art, ANDY BEN. Andy will be explaining and demonstrating a few of Jeff’s toys and some of his own.  We will be bringing props from our marching band, The Thursday Evening Gentlemen’s Society Circuit Bending Marching Band and Ladies’ Auxiliary and perhaps even recruiting marchers.

• Back by popular demand, LAVA Visionary JOE OESTERLE, author of the newly-released Weird Hollywood and the classic Weird California and Weird Las Vegas. Joe will be reading some spooky stories from his books as well as sharing some anecdotes from his weird road travels. Joe also promises to bring along one of the real life Weird Hollywood characters from his book. The multi-talented Joe Oesterle is a former Senior Editor of National Lampoon, a visual artist, musician, animator and curator of the strange and marvelous. Joe will be signing copies of Weird Hollywood.

The Los Angeles Athletic Club is located at 431 West 7th Street, on the north-east corner of 7th and Olive Streets. When you enter the Athletic Club, inform the person at the desk that you are there as a guest of club member Richard Schave attending the LAVA event. They will sign you in, and send you upstairs to the fourth floor. It will be possible to order light meals of sandwiches in the 8th floor snack bar, however, please note that service will be slower than at Clifton’s, and that arriving early and ordering promptly will be very helpful. We recommend parking under Pershing Square at Fifth and Olive, which is also the nearest Metro Station. If you order food, the Athletic Club will validate for their parking lot.