The Machine Project Field Guide to The Gamble House
Welcome to The Machine Project Field Guide to The Gamble House. During the two-week AxS Curiosity Festival, our experimental tours and dances, group naps, operatic bird beaks, seances, videos, architectural lawn furniture–and a secret Swiss-Japanese fusion restaurant–transform and reveal the history and visual ideas behind the Gamble House in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
Complementing those live events, our installation of contemporary paintings and sculptures by notable California artists throughout the house juxtaposes today’s artistic ideas with 1909’s architectural style. On-site, hands-on workshops offer lessons in topics ranging from soap-making to solar robotics, from Craftsman-style cat houses to basic electronics, brings the Arts and Crafts movement in parallel with today’s Maker groups.
Projects are listed in detail below, on display will be works by: Jeff Elrod, Cayetano Ferrer, Asher Hartman, Katie Herzog, Emily Joyce, Candice Lin, Sandeep Mukherjee, Rebecca Morris, Michael O’Malley, Laura Owens, Lauralee Pope, Jennifer Rochlin, Anna Sew Hoy, Ricky Swallow and Henry Taylor.
SCHEDULE:
The Machine Project Field Guide to The Gamble House runs from Friday, September 19th – Sunday, October 5th
Performances, activities and self-guided tours, free and open to the public:
Saturday, September 27th, 12pm – 10pm (last entry 9pm)
Thursday, October 2nd, 8pm – 10pm (last entry 9:30pm)
One-Hour Guided Tours:
During the festival, the Gamble House is open to the public for one-hour guided tours between following dates:
Sept 19, 20, 21 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) – Tours noon to 3pm (last tour begins at 3pm)
Sept 23 (Tuesday) – Tours at 12:15pm and 12:45pm
Sept 25, 26, 28 (Thursday, Friday, Sunday) – Tours noon to 3pm (last tour begins at 3pm)
Sept 30 (Tuesday) – Tours at 12:15pm and 12:45pm
Oct 2, 3, 4 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) – Tours noon to 3pm (last tour begins at 3pm)
Family Day (Free for kids 17 and under)
Sunday, October 5, 12-4pm
Tours noon to 3pm (last tour begins at 3pm)
All guided tours are $20 (no discounts) and are available for advance purchase through the Gamble House here. Please note that workshop fees do not include a tour.
The Gamble House
4 Westmoreland Place
Pasadena CA 91103
Projects
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*Tickets/Workshops will be available for purchase on Tuesday, September 2, 2014*
Nate Page – Audience Apparition
Sunday, September 14th from 8-10pm
Outside the Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
In this nighttime event, visitors participate in an exterior architecture tour using only flashlights for illumination. Images capturing this ghostly exchange will be on display in the house for the remainder of the show.
See the video here!
Matthew Au – Gamble House Roof Sculptures
Friday, September 19th – Sunday, October 5th
The Gamble House Lawns // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Half-scale replicas of the Gamble House’s famous roof sit upside-down at various points around the lawn. Allowing for a close-up inspection of the roof’s complex construction out of beams, joists and shingles, these inverted mockups also double as lawn furniture for lounging.
Patrick Ballard – The Swirling Mess Below the Sleeping Porch Soon Solidified into A Crest of Phantasmagoric Weight that Creaks Between the Doors, the Floors, and a Form that Could Never Be a House Again
Friday, September 19th – Sunday, October 5th
on The Gamble House Front Sleeping Porch // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
A two-story puppet animates the crane and rose of the Gamble family crest. Puppeteers activate the sculpture at regular intervals during Sept 27th, Oct 2nd, and Oct 5th.
Jessica Cowley – The Ultimate Bungalow!
Friday, September 19th – Sunday, October 5th
The Gamble House Front Lawn // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
The style in which Greene & Greene designed many of their houses came to be known as “ultimate bungalow” — inspired by the smaller structures with which they share a typology but, as the adjective implies, of a different order of magnitude in size, materials, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. ULTIMATE BUNGALOW! is a hand-painted tribute to the ultimate ultimateness of the Gamble House.
Ken Ehrlich – Lawn Drawing (Gamble House Interior Detail)
Friday, September 19th – Sunday, October 5th
The Gamble House Back Lawn // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
The intricately detailed woodwork of the staircase is scaled up and transposed into a two-dimensional image that is etched onto the landscape of the back lawn.
Michael O’Malley – Objects for Plants
Friday, September 19th – Sunday, October 5th
Various Locations in The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Small wood sculptures echoing the Greene & Greene highly-crafted design appear throughout the house, replete with ikebana arrangements made by the house’s Flower Committee.
David Fenster and Asher Hartman – Psychic Reading of the Gamble House
Friday, September 19th – Sunday, October 5th
in The Gamble House Upstairs Linen Closet // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
In this film by David Fenster, Asher Hartman psychically reads the Gamble House.
Solar Sun Chime Workshop with David Casey
Saturday September 20th from 11am – 2pm
in The Gamble House Basement // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$50 for Machine Project Members and FoGH// $60 for General Public
Ever wanted to learn how to build your own solar-powered gadgets for use in sustainable installations & outdoor computing? This workshop will provide an introduction to attaching mini solar panels to small motors and other battery-powered devices. Wire your own simple ‘sun chime’ using solar cells a few simple electronic components such as resistors & potentiometers. Previous soldering experience not required.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Plant Preservation and Natural Perfumery Workshop with Divya Anantharaman
Saturday September 20th from 1pm – 4pm
on The Gamble House Rear Terrace // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$60 for Machine Project Members // $70 for General Public
Participants learn the basics of preserving plants and creating natural perfumes, leaving the workshop with a salting/drying box, a 3oz bottle of their own fragrance, printed recipes and guides, as well as a newly grown fascination with plants.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Paper Cutting Workshop with Kaitlynn Redell
Saturday September 20th from 4pm – 7pm
in The Gamble House Attic // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$20 for Machine Project Members and FoGH // $30 for General Public
Participants learn techniques for template design and paper cutting in styles drawn from intricate architectural and interior design motifs found throughout the Gamble House.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Letter Writing Workshop with Mercedes Texido
Sunday September 21st from 4pm – 7pm
in The Gamble House Attic // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$15 for Machine Project Members and FoGH // $25 for General Public
Using correspondence examples from The Gamble House inhabitants, participants will learn letter writing techniques through both the form (script, paper, envelopes) and content of period specific letter writing.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Materiality and Signification Tour with Ryan Taber
September 23rd // 10 am
at The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$40
Using a scale model of the staircase and samples of different species of woods, artist Ryan Taber leads a house tour focusing on the front entry hall, back terrace and upstairs hallway.
Joinery and Decoration Tour with Ryan Taber
September 23rd // 2 pm
at The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$40
Using samples of timber frame joinery from various cultural traditions along with different species of wood. Artist Ryan Taber leads a house tour focusing on the Attic “Billiards” room, the crawl spaces, the upstairs guest bedroom and the master bedroom.
Tone and Cadence Tour with Ryan Taber
September 23rd // 7:30 pm
at The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$40
This tour will take place after dark and will feature content from the Materiality and Signification Tour and Joinery and Decoration Tours, as well as information about the houses artificial lighting and leaded art glass. A component of this tour will be conducted in the dark, with flashlights.
Click Here to purchase tickets for Ryan Taber’s tours.
Spaces for tours are limited, advanced registration is required.
Curator Tour with Mark Allen
Wednesday, September 24th & Wednesday, October 1st // 10am
at The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$40
Machine Project Executive Director Mark Allen leads a tour of The Machine Project Field Guide to The Gamble House.
Click Here to purchase tickets for this tour.
Spaces for tours are limited, advanced registration is required.
Annie Danis – Gamble House Archeological Dig
Friday, September 26th & Saturday, September 27th from 12pm – 4pm
on The Gamble House Back Lawn // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
Using both the analog and high tech methods of historical archaeology this interactive field-work will engage the material and immaterial culture of the Gamble House.
Nick Duran – Waterfall
Saturday, September 27th // Intermittently
on The Gamble House Main Stairwell // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
Duran embodies falling water in a solo dance for the staircase, inspired by the hallway’s framed embroidery.
Bob Dornberger – Secret Restaurant
Saturday, September 27th // 12pm
on The Gamble House Lawn // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
A conveyor belt delivers small bites of Swiss-Japanese fusion cuisine from the Gamble House’s basement. The menu features some of original owner Mary Gamble’s recipes as well as a few other “secret” menu items.
Machine Project – Poets in Closets
Saturday, September 27th, 1-5pm & Thursday, October 2nd, 8-10pm
in The Gamble House Downstairs Bedroom Closet // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
Poets read a single poem to one audience member at a time in the Gamble House’s walk-in closet.
Milka Djordjevich – MASS (at home)
Saturday, September 27th from 12pm – 6pm & Thursday, October 2nd from 8pm – 10pm // Intermittently
in The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
In this ambulatory dance, dancers become sculptures that move through the house and evolve over time. Oscillating between action and inaction, the dancers’ bodies evoke shape, architecture, landscape, matter, machine, animal, robot, and alien.
Sasha Archibald – Bed Conversations
Saturday, September 27th from 6pm – 8pm
in The Gamble House Downstairs Guest Bedroom // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
Eight guests in rotating shifts will animate a Gamble House bedroom with bedtime chatter, while lying in bed. Featuring Mark Allen, Agnes Bolt, Ingrid Calame, Leland de la Durantaye, Josh Kun, Mark Lipson, Brian McMullen, and Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer. Inspired by Bunkbed Conversations, a form of public theater starring pajama-clad intellectuals created by Cabinet magazine.
Animal Charm – Decho Tech Sunshine
Saturday, September 27th // 8pm
in The Gamble House Dining Room // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
A late 19th century lightshow simulating an extreme and completely artificial sunset ablaze through the dining room patterned glass windows.
Raphael Arar & Chris Weisbart – Projected Shadows Video Installation
Saturday, September 27th & Thursday, October 2nd from 8pm – 10pm
on The Gamble House Exterior // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
This nighttime installation transforms the Gamble House’s exterior through video projected on various surfaces, mimicking the interior’s bas-relief wood carvings.
Johanna Hedva – The Hour of the Cat
Saturday, September 27th from 9pm – 10pm
in The Gamble House Living Room // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
A reading of the work of Clarice Lispector, in the form of a tableaux vivant. Performed by a pair of cat-women, as portrayed by Johanna Hedva and Justin Streichman, and accompanied by projected video.
The Gamble Birdhouse Workshop with Scout Regalia
Sunday, September 28th from 11am – 2pm
on The Gamble House Back Lawn // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$25 for Machine Project Members and FoGH // $35 for General Public
Workshop participants build their own edible birdhouse inspired by the architectural elements and detailing of the Gamble House with nuts, seeds, bird feed brittle, and other aviary accommodating accoutrements.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Afternoon Tea with The Women of the Gamble House
Sunday, September 28th from 3pm – 6pm
on the Back Terrace of the Gamble House// 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$10
The Women’s Center for Creative Work (WCCW) presents an Afternoon Tea hosted by Pasadenans of 1909. Featuring light musical entertainment and a presentation of the history of Women’s Organizations in Southern California, early twentieth-century female household staff will serve iced tea and snacks based on Gamble-family recipes. A special tour focuses on womens’ spaces and work by female artisans.
SOLD OUT!Click Here for more information about this project and to join the waitlist.
Joinery and Decoration Tour with Ryan Taber
Tuesday, September 30th // 10am
at The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Using samples of timber frame joinery from various cultural traditions along with different species of wood. Artist Ryan Taber leads a house tour focusing on the Attic “Billiards” room, the crawl spaces, the upstairs guest bedroom and the master bedroom.
Click Here to purchase tickets for this tour.
Spaces for tours are limited, advanced registration is required.
The Urban Cat Architecture Workshop with Keith Rocka Knittel
Wednesday, October 1st from 7pm – 10pm
in The Gamble House Attic // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$25 for Machine Project Members and FoGH// $35 for General Public
Learn how to design a cat dwelling by examining historical references, construction techniques and designs.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Jibade-Khalil Huffman – Necessary Interruption
Thursday, October 2nd from 8pm – 10pm // Intermittently
in The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
Two figures enter and exit rooms of the Gamble House, interrupting the conversations of the assembled crowd and each other.
Soap Making Workshop with Lisa Anne Auerbach
Saturday, October 4th from 2pm – 5pm
on The Gamble House Lawn // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$40 for Machine Project Members and FoGH// $50 for General Public
Learn how to make cold process soap with a reusable mold. Participants take home their own citrus soap inspired by the Gamble House—that is, the “House That Soap Built”—off of Orange Grove Boulevard.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Embroidering in Architecture Workshop with Jenny Hart
Saturday October 4th from 4pm – 7pm
On Aunt Julia’s Sleeping Porch // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
$80 for Machine Project Members and FoGH// $90 for General Public
Participants learn the basics of hand embroidery as they stitch an Art Nouveau design onto a throw-pillow cover they can keep.
Click Here for more information about this project and to register.
Sara Roberts – The Hand is the Window onto the Mind
Sunday, October 5th from 12pm – 1pm
in The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free for Kids 17 & Under
The soft sounds of the B&W Readers Chorus travel throughout the Gamble House, while choreographed readings and repeated body movements in each room explore how the human hand and mind interface in the making process.
Children 14 and under must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. Sign up for tour here
Paul Fraser – Group Naps
Sunday, October 5th from 12pm – 4pm
on Aunt Julia’s Sleeping Porch at The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free for Kids 17 & Under
Come take a nap on the Aunt Julia’s sleeping porch while Paul quietly serenades you with arrangements of Ivory soap jingles.
Children 14 and under must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. Sign up for tour here
Rafa Esparza – Landslide
Sunday, October 5th from 2pm – 5pm
on the Rear Terrace of The Gamble House // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free
In a durational work engaging the body with a nearby hill, Rafa will slide down and climb up the hill continuously both altering the natural landscape and exacting his movement through repetition. The work will be visible only on the Rear Terrace via telescope.
Drawing With Ghosts
Sunday, October 5th from 2pm – 4pm
in The Gamble House Attic // 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103
Free for Kids 17 & Under
In this event, the Gamble House’s ghosts (may) express themselves to the living world through drawing machines and tools created by the drawing team: Emily Luce, Gail Swanlund, Anita Cooney, Denise Gonzales Crisp, Arzu Ozkal, and JeanAnn Guette.
Children 14 and under must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. Sign up for tour here
The Machine Project Field Guide to The Gamble House is part of AxS Festival 2014. AxS [ak-sis] is a two-week citywide festival produced by the Pasadena Arts Council that explores the nexus of artistic and scientific inquiry, promoting experimentation and cross-fertilization between these disciplines.