Making juice with Michael Parker at HRLA gallery

Michael Parker took a participatory activity that could be kind of boring (squeezing citrus) and turned it into a sculptural event.   (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The artist crafted all of the ceramic citrus-squeezing implements. They felt like primordial tools, each nesting perfectly in the hand, with flamboyant, propeller-like apparatuses for extracting juice. They were so beautiful, I wanted to slip one into my purse.  (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Parker created the drinking cups that held juice. Some looked like ancient archaeological finds, others resembled sea anemones (as above). A few took their inspiration from the scaly-looking cherimoya fruit.  (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

I used this tool to extract the juice of these grapefruits. It was messy and sticky and just a little sexual -- and added to the aroma of citrus that already permeated the space.  (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

All of the implements were laid out on split-wood boards requiring the viewer to kneel or crouch before the pieces.  (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

Even the lamps were crafted from ceramics, giving the gallery a lush, undersea feel.  (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)