SUPER iam8bit opened last Thursday at the recently renovated iam8bit headquarters in Echo Park. Over 100 artists have reimagined their 80′s gaming fantasies through paintings, sculpture and other interactive media.

The inaugural iam8bit show in 2005, was one of the most popular group art exhibition in Los Angeles. It won accolades from dozens of publications, like LA Weekly’s “Best Art Show” and received media attention from CNN, MSNBC, Playboy, G4 and MTV. The book “iam8bit: Art Inspired by Classic Video Games of the ’80s” highlighted key pieces from the original show and became one of the best-selling video game-themed books of all time.

This year’s show is bigger and bolder than before, and is housed in a 4,500 square foot event space–nearly 5 times the size of the original show. It also includes a new book documenting this year’s event, “SUPER iam8bit: More Art Inspired By Classic Video Games of the ’80s”. Other highlights include: a special tribute to Galaga’s 30th anniversary featuring the world’s largest “arcade cabinet”; the transformation of the entire gallery into an 80′s gaming wonderland by designer decal collective BLIK; an interactive, “retro-fied” Kinect hack from Double Fine super-artist Drew Skillman; and much, much more!

The show runs until September 10, 2011, so check it out. For updates, follow them on twitter @iam8bitshow.

SUPER iam8bit
2147 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Gallery Hours:? Thursday 1-8pm, Friday 1-9pm, ?Saturday 12-9pm, ?Sunday 12-6pm

(Image Source: kotaku)

Thursday, June 2nd at 5:30pm, Pasadena Magazine and Podley Properties is hosting a lecture and book signing with the authors of Classic Homes of Los Angeles. The book offers an exclusive look into the classic homes and gardens of legendary neighborhoods in and around LA, such as Hancock Park, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, San Marino, and Malibu. Classic Homes of Los Angeles will be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting The Gamble House. This event will take place at the Pasadena Public Library and is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To RSVP call (626) 744-0954 x317 or rsvp@pasadenarose.com.

Pasadena Public Library Auditorium
285 East Walnut St.
Pasadena, CA 91101

I’ve been meaning to post about Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles by Charles Fleming for a while. We gave the book, which contains 42 stairway walks in Los Angeles, to a client/avid hiker as part of a closing gift, and ever since I’ve been meaning to pick up a copy for myself and write about it too. I love the hidden stairs tucked around Silver Lake. They seem so magical and Alice in Wonderland-y. I frequently use them on my runs and on walks with our dog Ebbie, since he’s really fond of going “up-up” whenever possible.

Via Secret Stairs-LA:

The staircases lace the hillsides of certain L.A. neighborhoods, and are historical reminders of a time when this was not a city of cars. City planners and developers installed them as direct routes for pedestrians–housewives and children particularly–to get down the hills to school, the supermarket, and transit lines. The city at that time was well served by trolleys, streetcars, buses, and light-rail systems. The staircases were clustered around steep hillside communities near these transit lines, especially steep-streeted communities that developed in the 1920s… The staircase-to-trolley system was so much a part of the landscape that developers in some areas built houses that had no other access to the outside world… The trolleys and streetcars are gone, but the staircases remain. Many of them are forgotten paths, neglected and unused. Many of them are also direct routes into fascinating Los Angeles neighborhoods that many Angelinos have never even seen.

Yesterday I stumbled upon the blog Climbing LA inspired by Secret Stairs. The author Robert Guerrero and partner Charles Thompson (of the sustainable food blog 100 Miles) hiked all 42 walks in Fleming’s book and wrote about it. What a cool concept for a blog! Sadly, the final hike was April 4th, but it is fascinating to go through the archives, read about their hikes, and check out what they saw along the way. It’s also a great source of inspiration for your own Secret Stairs hikes. I was particularly excited to see Walk #25: Swan’s Way, which I do almost every day with Ebbie.

You can purchase Secret Stairs here.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)’s new book American Fashion Designers at Home peeks into over 100 homes of members of the CFDA. Readers get a personal look at Donna Karan’s tranquil Turks and Caicos villa, Betsey Johnson’s girly, flower-filled flat, Randolph Duke’s California-cool pad, and more. ShelterPop spoke with author Rima Suqi about some of the homes that stood out to her and why.

Johnson Hartig – “When people can put a lot of pattern together and make it work, that’s a skill,” says Suqi of this room in Libertine‘s ’s home. Suqi notes that Hartig left the base of the room to black and white, pulling together the different styles of the furnishings and acting as a neutral base for the eclectic art collection, including the gigantic Damien Hirst spin art painting.

Randolph Duke - Duke’s architect embraced the incredible view of Los Angeles with 10-foot high retractable glass walls. “The whole thing can open up,” says Suqi. She notes that being open to nature doesn’t mean of a lack of glamor, in fact, the space is reminiscent of Randolph Duke‘s couture evening gowns for Hollywood starlets.

Cynthia Rowley – Suqi says Cynthia Rowley‘s home itself is gorgeous, but the presence of a swimming pool in the backyard of her Greenwich Village townhouse is what really stands out. “There’s always an element of play in both her fashion and her home,” she adds.

You can purchase American Fashion Designers at Home at Assoulin. Price: $65.00.

My heart always and forever belongs to Los Angeles. But if I were a tougher sort, I would love to live in New York for a year. Or maybe six months. What can I say, I need sunshine, beach access, palm trees… I just can’t quit you, LA! But still, New York is a fantastic place for a getaway. And who better to direct you to the best spots in New York than Taschen?

Angelika Taschen knows New York through and through and in the new book, Taschen’s New York, she shares her secret access to the best neighborhood delis, hidden clubs, uptown and downtown hotels, boutiques, and more. It’s neatly arranged with dictionary-style cutout tabs to make it easy to flip through. After studying up, you’ll know how to land the best table at the Waverly Inn, where to rest your head in Chelsea, how to find subMercer in Soho, where to find the best burger near Madison Square Park, and so much more…

Taschen’s New York is available in hardcover at Taschen.com for $39.99.

Photos by Poul Ober

If you’re in the market for a new coffee table book, or if you just love TASCHEN books, one that cannot be missed is the Case Study Houses: The Complete CSH Program, 1945-1966. This book is a retrospective of the 36 postwar prototype homes built in the Los Angeles area by architecture greats, like Richard Neutra, Charles & Ray Eames, and Eero Saarinen.

It contains beautiful photos from by Julius Shulman, detailed floor plans, and comprehensive documentation of all the homes built during this important event in the history of American architecture. It’s available at Taschen.com for $69.99.

I’m one of those people who loves to spend hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in a record store flipping through vinyl new and old, so when I heard that Vacation Vinyl was opening down the street from apartment ealier this year I got very excited. I got even more excited when I found out the store was being brought to us by the people behind Secret Headquarters and Hydra Head Records.

Vacation is minimalist in the best way possible. If you want to find everything under the sun, go to Amoeba. If you want to have the selection carefully narrowed down for you, then Vacation is for you. I love going there because it’s great for an impulse buy. Records are organized by genre – from “indie rock” to “soul” to “unholy metal” – so it’s easy to pick one and find something new to add to your collection (like the Abner Jay record below).

The prices aren’t cheap at Vacation and the used selection is slim, but the staff is super friendly and eager to introduce you to something new. They even  have a seemingly non-stop parade of in-store performances from local and touring bands (sign up for the mailing list or check out their blog to stay informed).

Parking isn’t usually a problem but it’s located within waking distance of all the shops near Sunset and Vermont in Los feliz as well as the Red Line Metro. Make sure to stop by on your next weekend walk around the neighborhood.

Vacation Vinyl
4679 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027

I picked up a great book this weekend – Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake by Barbara Bestor. It’s a beautifully designed and packaged book that looks at the unique architecture throughout Silver Lake. Definitely a must-have for any current or prospective Silver Lake home owner:

Through striking illustrations and stunning photographs, Bohemian Modern explores the unique structural and interior designs that have put California’s ultra-chic Silver Lake neighborhood at the forefront of a new style phenomenon.

One of the country’s most renowned modernist architects, Barbara Bestor has fully embraced and perfected Silver Lake’s “bohemian modern” style: a practical philosophy that is Californian in origin but achievable anywhere. It is a look that favors raw, authentic materials, brilliant colors, creative space planning, and a natural flow between indoors and outdoors.

The results, as Bohemian Modern presents, are striking: a flawlessly restored Neutra house decorated with both whimsy and restraint, a rooftop constructed for viewing the stars, a lavish outdoor garden delicately integrated into the surrounding architecture, a double-sided bookcase that soars three stories and serves as a functional art installation…there is no limit to the creativity and beauty of Silver Lake style.

Both modern and classic, refreshing and inviting, Bohemian Modern will delight readers with its breathtaking, vividly photographed tour of Silver Lake.