In the Q&A below, my friends Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner describe their incubator and performance space for experimental music, Oracle Egg, as an extension of their artistic practice. This sense is palpable throughout the space – strange sonic objects peek out from corners, mirrors reflect unexpected angles, scores wait in cabinets, artist books centering LA invite you to broaden your knowledge, and a pink wig pops out amid brick walls. 

Eli and Melissa inspire me with their artistry, presence, rigor, and dedication to building what the interdisciplinary music making scene can be in Los Angeles. So of course Oracle Egg – an extension of their values – invites a sense of play and provides the structural support for artists to have the time, space, and freedom to develop their work. Audiences feel it too, and the friends and colleagues who attended performances of my music at Oracle Egg – my recent residency with Aaron Wolff, Shannon Reilly's Broiler Residency in June, and Carrie Frey & Adrianne Munden-Dixon's performance last year – wanted to know everything about the space and felt genuinely inspired. From the artist perspective, it's curated to be comfortable and conducive to creation – you need a 15 minute nap before your show? Fabulous. A different lighting scheme, camera, or iPad stand? Eli's got you. One big, but not universal thing among venues (at all!) – is the presence of the dining table, the fridge, the broad selection of teas, instant coffee if you need it. The space is designed to take care of the banal in a rather fun way so that you can focus on your work. 

So I want to put Oracle Egg on your radar for a few reasons – they have an open call for their Spring 2026 BROILER Residencies, you should attend shows if you live in LA, and if you're looking to make a tax-deductible donation around year-end this is the place where a small or large donation would make a difference and be put to supporting bold artists.

Anna Heflin: Oracle Egg is unique in that it is a residency-based space and literally gives artists the keys to inhabit the 3,000 sq ft loft in the Arts District for 3-7 days as part of the Broiler Residency. I think we underestimate how much convenience influences art making today, when you have to load in and out in 30 minutes there are compromises that have to be made and certain pieces cannot be produced under those conditions. What are some ways that you feel residents have successfully utilized access to this space?

Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner: One interesting residency this year was a work by Corey Fogel. People are usually excited (rightfully so) by the size of the space and use it as an opportunity to think in this very maximal way, filling as much of the space as they can. But Corey decided instead to build out a very small, intimate structure within which his work took place. It was surprising to see and the effect was quite magical and transformative.

AH: Tell us about your upcoming season! It looks like a nice mix of local artists and those traveling in.

Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner: We’re so excited about this upcoming season – we chose a wide range of projects, spanning new music, improvisation, movement, video, installation, and more. When programming, we give priority to artists based locally but usually end up including a select group from outside the Los Angeles area. It’s nice to bring in outside artists so that they can get inspired by the scene here in Los Angeles and vice-versa. It’s important for us to support the local scene, but I think part of that is helping them connect to artists from elsewhere. And of course, we love that outside artists can leave their own fingerprint, in turn shaping us and the future of the space. One example this season is this duo project by Kamari Carter and Gladstone Deluxe. Both are currently based in New York but Kamari has roots here in Los Angeles so that works out really nicely.

AH: You receive a lot of applications for the BROILER Residency. Any tips for artists on how to best articulate their large-scale projects that are in early development?

Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner: We just put out the open call for our spring season, so this is a timely question. Anytime an application stands out for us, it’s usually because it was written in a way that simply and clearly states what this person intends to explore with their residency. Some proposals are filled with art jargon. You don’t have to impress us; talk to us like we’re people. Some people have a complex conceptual framework behind their work, but for us it is most compelling when complicated ideas can be expressed simply. It’s important to think deeply about your own work, but then translate it for the audience. Clarity of thought in your proposal demonstrates your general clarity of thought and conviction in your own practice. At the end of the day, art is a social practice and requiring a twenty page dissertation to justify your piece is a good way to keep people away.  Effective art usually justifies itself.  

If it’s clear that chatGPT was used to write a proposal, it goes straight in the trash. And you’ll be banned. And your children, and your children’s children. One of the rewards of running the residency series is that we get to connect with other artists and if we can’t tell what kind of person you are and what you’re thinking about, then there’s no point. And finally, it’s important that you can effectively explain how you’ll use your time in the space. It’s less time than you think and we want to make sure your project is feasible in that timeframe.

AH: What do you wish people knew about running an experimental venue?

Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner: I’ve found that people are most surprised to hear that we consider Oracle Egg an extension of our own artistic practices. Art and music are often practiced in solitary but at the end of the day, it is inherently social. And as such, we really cherish every aspect of it. It’s like this baby we are nurturing and watching grow. With that comes tantrums & growing pains, but also moments of pure joy and accomplishment.

AH: Oracle Egg was selected as one of the awardees of the New Music Inc LA! What are you most excited about in regards to this opportunity?

Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner: For starters, this is the first grant we’ve received under the fiscal sponsorship of Fulcrum Arts, which is very encouraging. We’re particularly looking forward to connecting with the other members of the cohort as well as the mentors we will be connected with both in and outside the organization. We never thought in a million years we would be involved in arts administration. However, at some point it became clear that there were certain things we wished were different about the world we were moving through as artists. I think that’s the genesis of most small arts organizations; you eventually run into a problem and come up with a solution to fix it. To be able to trade ideas with people who have run into their own issues and have come up with their own solution is exciting. To be able to not only participate in the artistic landscape as creators but to also improve how others move through it is a privilege.

AH: You play in a duo together called Deathflavorkiss, what are ya’ll cooking up and when can we hear you next?

Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner: We’ve been on a short hiatus from performing while Melissa has been in residency in Iceland. Melissa is developing some sketches that she will bring back to expand on further as we get ready to record an album together in 2026, while Eli is developing a new instrument he’s been thinking about for a while which will hopefully be an interesting platform for composition and experimentation. And towards the end of November, we’ll be returning to Seattle to play our first show there together since 2012(!).