This program is included with the price of admission. Walk-ins are welcome!
The MAK Center for Art and Architecture is pleased to present the premiere of *Theme* from A *New* Program for Graphic Design, performed by Adam Michaels, Daniel Perlin, Dave Harrington, and special guests.
In 2018, David Reinfurt presented three days of lectures at Inventory Press’s then-studio in Silver Lake (originally designed and utilized by Richard Neutra). The transcript of those lectures formed the basis for the influential A *New* Program for Graphic Design (Inventory Press, 2019).
Interspersed between Reinfurt’s 45-minute lectures and intended as a palette-cleanser, Adam Michaels ran a short, sequenced refrain on a Moog synthesizer, each time with a substantially different tempo and sound. Spontaneously, attendees brought in instruments over the course of the three days and played in various configurations, with the musical interludes taking on a much greater role than anticipated.
Correlating with David Reinfurt’s newly released follow-up, A *Co-* Program for Graphic Design (Inventory Press, 2025), IP will soon release an LP of recordings by Adam Michaels, Daniel Perlin, and others, building upon the original “theme” from the 2018 events, and stretching all out in a variety of new ways.
As part of the MAK Center’s current exhibition Reading Room and Inventory Press’s June Table Residency, Michaels, Perlin, Dave Harrington, and special guests will perform an extended, improvised rendition of the *Theme* from A *New* Program for Graphic Design outside in the Schindler House Patio, throughout the afternoon (12–5pm) on Saturday, June 28. Attendees are welcome to wander in and out, stay for longer or shorter times, and perhaps read a book under the Jacaranda tree.
This program is included with the price of admission. Walk-ins are welcome!
DAVE HARRINGTON
Dave Harrington is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer and producer. Before moving to Los Angeles in 2019, Harrington spent more than a decade in his hometown of New York City working across many different musical communities from downtown improvisation to Brooklyn indie and jambands to warehouse techno, scoring independent films, and producing albums for other artists. He is currently a member of the bands Taper’s Choice and DARKSIDE, and leads his own improvisational groups including Dave Harrington’s Pranksters West, and various assemblies of improvisers.
As a collaborator, Harrington has recorded or performed with artists including Ilhan Ersahin’s Istanbul Sessions, Nels Cline, Miho Hatori, Alanis Morisette, John Medeski, Nate Mercereau, Greg Fox, Nick Murphy (aka Chet Faker), Yuka Honda, Joe Russo, Ian Chang, Karina Rykman, Chris Forsyth, Mauro Refosco, Lars Horntveth (Jaga Jazzist), Stuart Bogie, Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), The Antlers, The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Kimbra, Patrick Shiroishi, Sophia Brous, Innov Gnawa, Spencer Zahn, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Marshall Allen & The Sun Ra Arkestra, Angel Deradoorian, and many more.
ADAM MICHAELS
Adam Michaels is a Los Angeles-based book designer and publisher. Along with Shannon Harvey, he runs Inventory Press and the design and editorial studio IN-FO.CO, and he previously founded the National Design Award-winning studio Project Projects in New York (2004–17). He co-authored Seeing <—> Making: Room for Thought, with Susan Buck-Morss and Kevin McCaughey, and The Electric Information Age Book: McLuhan/Agel/Fiore and the Experimental Paperback with Jeffrey Schnapp. He previously played in punk and hardcore bands in the 1990s in Chicago and Minneapolis, and as The Masses (with Daniel Perlin and Jeffrey Schnapp) released The Electric Information Album in 2012.
DANIEL PERLIN
Daniel Perlin is a designer and artist who believes in listening closely to all species. He is the founder of Make_Good_Design, an experience design practice focused on planetary design, and is the Global Lead of Experience Design at Accenture Song's Sustainability studio. Recent collaborations include work with The UN, Sonos, Vans, Dublab, Earth Percent, Levis, Toyota, Google, Emerson Collective, Gates Foundation, IBM, The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, Domus Magazine, B.I.G. Architecture, Unicef, A-01, NoNo Studio and Maya Lin; with artists such as Laurie Anderson, Vito Acconci and David Byrne; with filmmakers such as Errol Morris, Todd Solondz and Kelly Reichardt. He has created experiences at Sundance, Miami Basel, The Venice and Seoul Biennials of Architecture, MoMA, The Guggenheim, Center Pompediou, The Philadelphia Museum of Art and other galleries and institutions, and his wok has won awards such as National Design Awards, Cannes Lions and Cyber Grand Prix, Webbys, FWAs, Spot design and honored at the UN. As part of his practice, Daniel plays and produces music and sounds, and has recently been seen djing with plants and playing in bands in LA.
The exhibition is supported in part by an arts grant from the City of West Hollywood.
Printing support generously provided by Typecraft.
Furniture for Reading courtesy of Karma.
Related Exhibition
Reading Room
June 5, 2025 — September 14, 2025
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