The prehistoric La Brea Tar Pits, sitting just off Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile, is Los Angeles’ ultimate old-school attraction. But for the next few months, it will also play host to an Instagram-ready, forward-leaning art installation. And best of all, it’s free.
The Los Angeles Times recently featured the “Second Home Serpentine Pavilion,” which was created by Spanish architecture firm SelgasCano and was last seen in 2015 in London’s Hyde Park. The 866-square-foot structure is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (or ETFE) membrane, stretched across a steel frame; the L.A. Times calls it a “wormy twist of organic shapes and iridescent colors.”
The prehistoric excavation site known for its pools of gurgling goo (and home of the George C. Page Museum) seems to be the perfect place for such a super-modern contrast. “We need to go back to nature—to see life with new eyes, again,” one of the installation’s creators, José Selgas, told the L.A. Times. “The pavilion is for people to walk inside, experience and work with their memories. The complexity of nature is bigger than what we have digitally. The pavilion is an artificial nature; the goal is to improve the natural with something artificial.”
You can visit the pavilion, which will also host related talks and live performances, through November. The exhibit is free, but you do need a timed reservation.
While you’re in the area, and in the mood for pops of color, don’t miss the nearby Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which is offering an exhibit of works by abstract expressionist Frank Stella.
