You may not know about Hastings Plastics, a hardware store specializing in space age materials and plastics for over 55 years in Santa Monica, but it could be argued that Light and Space Art stemmed from its services. Here is a tribute to Hastings Plastic that I wrote for the L.A. Weekly.
http://www.laweekly.com/2012-01-05/art-books/Hastings-Plastics-sculptures/
If you are interested in more content on Hastings, listen to this week's Modern Art Notes Podcast
http://blogs.artinfo.com/modernartnotes/2012/01/the-man-podcast-christopher-knight-on-pst/
Thanks for Reading and Listening,
Ed