A Shell of Its Former Self

OK, it’s not the True Cross. But don’t let anyone tell you that Los Angeles is too young to have relics. The gazillion-dollar new Hollywood Bowl shell may have been launched this summer, but the now-gone 1929 shell, with its Frank Gehry-designed hanging fiberglass balls, remains an icon, and we mean that literally. Not only have fragments of the Gehry balls been made into pricey art pieces (on view at the Cause and Effect Gallery in Torrance), there’s also a sliver of the old Bowl in the limited-edition Hollywood Bowl Shell Replica. The $250 stone-cast Art Deco-style commemorative rendition has a stage made of “authentic wood from the actual Hollywood Bowl shell.” The replica and other items honoring the bygone Bowl are at www.hollywoodbowlart.com, and at the gallery for the duration of the show.

Hollywood Bowl Sphere Art Project, The Cause and Effect Gallery, 1765 Oak St., Torrance, through Oct. 31.