Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler showed their version of heaven Saturday at The Art of Elysium's ninth annual Heaven Gala. The longtime couple and creative visionaries oversaw the event at 3LABS in Culver City. 3LABS was transformed with New York-based artist Andrew Ondrejack's industrialized modern world art installation, which included florescent lights strapped to stacks of black gasoline barrels.
The East London-based band Wild Daughter kicked off the Heaven Gala with a musical performance. Afterwards, guests transitioned into a "post-apocalyptic rainforest" for dinner. Kronthaler and Westwood took the stage, and Kronthaler acknowledged his privileged upbringing, expressing thanks for being able to cultivate his artistic side since childhood. He stressed his desire to give other children the opportunity to explore the arts, illuminating his reason for supporting The Art of Elysium.
Westwood noted Kronthaler sewed her dress for the evening and explained Kronthaler is not only her husband but also her creative partner. The fashion designer also discussed the importance of art. "Art is something that human beings can do. We understand the world by imitating the world," Westwood said. "Art makes us understand things. Every work of art is a vision of an individual at that point in time." Westwood went on to explain climate change, urging guests to take action. "It's a matter of life or death," Westwood said. "If you can do one thing, change your energy supply to green energy. If you do that it will make a big difference-especially if you're a business person."
Finola Hughes and Russell Young were honored with the organization's highest honor, the Spirit of Elysium award. "It's not a surprise that artists run this charity," Hughes said. "As Vivienne said, we are always striving to interpret the human condition." Another notable attendees included Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, James Franco, Christina Hendricks, Kaley Cuoco, Topher Grace, Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder, Zendaya, Kelly Osbourne and Minka Kelly. The evening concluded with a musical performance by Shara Worden. Andreas Kronthaler and Vivienne Westwood at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala.-Reuters