heavenly villian's lair

i seriously went on the most amazing [local] field trip ever yesterday. i'm actually not even in the class that scheduled the trip, but my fab friends that are invited me along. we took a tour of the sheats goldstein residence shortly before dusk and then spent sunset/dusk inside the james turrell skyspace called "above horizon." yeah, it's art, but yeah, it's also a space. the house was designed by john lautner, and you might recognize it from the big lebowski, charlie's angels: full throttle, fashion photography shoots, or various works of porn. the instructor of the class worked on this documentary, so he knows the current architect handling "renovations" (if a 10,000 square foot addition and never-ending improvements to the property can be described by that simple word) with whom he arranged our tour.

angelenos, this is a must see. i hear that if you contact the architect, he'll let you know if/when the next tours are scheduled, and you can go, too. there were two random women who joined our tour, and they definitely were not architecture students. they're free, but they just have to be scheduled around james goldstein's travel schedule.

[photo credit]

yes, that's right. that guy you see at every lakers game and nba playoff game lives here. who is he? a fan of fashion, architecture, and basketball, apparently, and also very wealthy. so wealthy he spends most of his time flying to all the fashion shows and nba games he possibly can. so wealthy he has season tickets on the floor for the lakers AND the clippers. so wealthy he buys couture and entire seasons' collections. so wealthy he's bought up all the property from his house at the top of a hill down to the street at the base of it below. so wealthy he planted it all tropical so that the property has a brazilian microclimate. so wealthy he's been continually remodeling this place since he bought it forever ago. so wealthy he's building a 10,000 square foot building with a tennis court on top and guest house, his office, and a full-service nightclub below. i know.

yeah, the whole experience is pretty hollywood, surreal, and almost...disney...on the one hand. on the other hand, i definitely would not mind living there. or vacationing there. or something. the architecture definitely embodies the tenets of organic architecture--create space that is reflective of and complementary to its surroundings and the individual [that occupies it]. the whole experience, especially with the skyspace included, is almost meditative. and just being up there with amazing views, a house that opens up to the outside, lush foliage, and numerous chillax spots all over the house and property makes just being there a vacation.

enough jibba jabba. photos!

lautner was a disciple of frank lloyd wright.
hence the super-compression at the entry.
(which flw, in turn, took from traditional japanese architecture.)


what you see right before you enter.
so serene.


the new building.
tennis courts on top.
guest quarters,
office,
nightclub
below.


model of the estate.
the little pod at the bottom right
is the james turrell piece.


me: "is that matt damon?"
attack: "ummm...i think that's snoop dogg."
me: "not that photo!"
[both die of laughter]
(see dorky, youngish matt damon in back right.)


amazing reflection that only really happens at this time of day.


the real view of the reflection.


these mini skylights are drinking glases.
really.


LOVE the reveal in the ceiling.
one of my fave architectural details here.


yes, those are windows IN the pool.
this house was originally built for a family with five children (the sheatses).
mrs. sheats worked in the space below and liked to watch her children
while they were in the pool.
kind of a sexy detail for a family with FIVE kids.


see? drinking glasses.


the view from the bed in the master bedroom.
swanky chaise/sexy time chair for two.
and the glass at that corner opens.


the view into the pool.
and lots of hats.


love this sink's drainage system.


i guess it just waters some of the jungle.


now it's a wood deck.


now it's a hot tub!


see? total voyeur/sexual detail.
perfect for mr. goldstein's bachelor lifestyle.
not so much for the family with 5 kids.


oh yeah, and there are no rails anywhere.
and lots of sharp, concrete corners.
very kid-unfriendly.
love how the stairs taper.
this is on the way to the skyspace.


the skyspace.


enter. time for captain eo.
i mean, skyspace.
notice how thick the walls are.


everyone loungin' on the grey leather-covered bed that's installed flush with the floor.
the hidden LEDs cycle through a bunch of colors, and a really random mix of music plays.
everything from sting to mozart.


and then...
the hatches open.


notice how thin those edges are.
yeah, it's all carbon fiber and fiberglass.
built with the help of some aerospace engineers.


so the whole point is that at sunrise and sunset,
the color of the sky changes as the color of the lights/walls change.
it totally messes with your perceptions.
first how FLAT the holes/portals appear.
then the color of the sky being SO different against
different-colored backgrounds.

except...the camera doesn't get tricked. the sky always looks the same
in all my photos below.
but really, in person, it's different.
tricky, tricky eyes.







and then, you stand up once the sun has set, and see this amazingness.





red on the left.
attack in the middle.
and the professional [photographer] on the right.


back in the master bedroom, they opened the corner window for us.


sexy.


sexy.
kind of.


GROSS GIANT SPIDER!
this guy was SUPER fat and white.
have never seen a spider like it.
thanks, brazilian microclimate.


bye bye, fishies.

find the rest of my photos here.

the professional's set of photos from our evenings are here. her photos better capture the changing color of the sky in relation to the color of the skyspace.

i kind of want a white russian, all of a sudden. gah-ross.