ART LECTURE
They Call Him Heap of Birds
What a name! Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds. Or is it VI? His name seems to be in all capital letters everywhere. What does this mean? Is he… just that kind of guy? Perhaps. With exhibits across the world — from the MOMA; to the Whitney; the Smithsonian; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sidney, Australia; the Association for Visual Arts Museum in Cape Town, South Africa; the Hong Kong Art Center in China — he certainly sounds interesting on paper. This man has exhibited everywhere, taught everywhere, and probably created everywhere… and with everything. His is not a one-medium gig. He does it all, and seemingly with a purpose: public art messages, large scale drawings, Neuf Series acrylic paintings, prints, and monumental porcelain enamel on steel outdoor sculpture. And he’s here as a guest lecturer at the U of MN, where we can enjoy tonight’s lecture.
7 p.m., IN-FLUX Room, Regis Center for Art, University of MN, 405 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis; free.
THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Revisit the Fringe
You thought the Fringe was over — the Fringe Festival, that is. And usually, what you miss, you miss. It came and went. All gone. But, baby, sometimes life brings second chances. Scaled down, perhaps, but there are advantages to that, too. Tonight begins A Fringe Invitational at the Lowry Lab Theater. The Actor’s Theater will be remounting eight shows from the 2007 Minnesota Fringe Festival throughout the next month. Eight shows is a bit less overwhelming, and if they really were the favorites, as suggested, then this is a brilliant second-chance treat — the Fringe greatness, without the weeding or the risk. Featured performances include: Bards, Take a Left at the Giant Cow: A Beginner’s Guide to North Dakota, Circumference, Blue Collar Diaries, Somebody Else’s Clothes, I Hate Kenny G, and tonight’s shows: Buckets and Tap Shoes and From Here to Maternity — explosive street tap and pregnancy sketches and songs. Don’t miss them this time around.
7 p.m., Lowry Lab Theater, 355 Wabasha St. N., St Paul; park in the Lowry Ramp, enter on Wabasha, between 4th and 5th; 651-290-2290; $12 ($1 off with 2007 Fringe buton).
CONFERENCE
All That’s New Today Is Old Tomorrow
You’re reading this. Obviously you use the Internet. (Why do we still capitalize Internet?) You might even do more on the Internet than check your email and read a couple of blogs or search for things to do. You could be doing all sort of things out here (some of which you may not want to disclose). It’s a new era in communications (as if every era isn’t somehow a new era in communications). In fact, few things have changed so often and so quickly than communications. And what is media other than a means of communication? With our growing participation with (and dependency on) the Internet, the concept of media has changed so drastically — and made us question so much — that we’ve chosen to somehow separate (or even alienate) it from other forms of professional communication, by calling it “new media.” New media. Ok. As opposed to the old media? Fair enough. I certainly can’t remember a day when newspapers were called new media. But I can certainly remember a day when television was indeed new media, regardless of what it was called. Yet new media is really delegated to one realm, and one realm only: the Internet. Will we still be calling it new media 10 years from now? Perhaps it will take us that long to fully embrace, accept, or integrate it. Perhaps it already has — at least when it comes to those who define the media. I wish I could say that those of us who use it, don’t call it so. But even we fall prey to the trends in terminology. (Hell, we’re all just trying to communicate, right?) Tonight’s conference says it all — experts in new media talking about new media: New Media Research at UMN: An Interdisciplinary Conference on New Media and Internet Studies. Clearly, they’re involved with it, participating: “From journalism and mass communication to computer science, from medicine to cultural studies and comparative literature, these are just some of the areas assessing methods and theories of the Internet and digital technologies in innovative ways within and across disciplines.” The U of MN is a great resource here in town, be it events, knowledge, or research. Partake of it. Benefit from it. This evening will begin with a reception and poster session. Tomorrow’s session, which begins at 2 p.m., will include panel presentations on selected research topics and brainstorming sessions on collaborative research opportunities. The keynote speaker is Steve Jones, professor in Communication, University of Illinois, Chicago.
7:30 p.m., Room 401, Walter Library, University of Minnesota, 117 Pleasant St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-625-0576; free.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Less Safe, Less Free
Since 9/11 (before this, really, though less overtly) this country’s leaders (as well as the general public, at least initially) have declared a “war on terror” under the guise of securing our safety. Somehow, the general public failed to realize that war generally doesn’t mean safety. Sure, you can fight for ideals, you can fight for power, you can fight to stake your claim, you can even fight for your right to drive a Hummer. But it’s generally not about safety, and lives are indeed lost in the process — in this case, many. True, if you have enough power — or at least the illusion of it — then you might consider yourself relatively safe. And perhaps you are. But at the the end of the day, he with the most power, will always be challenged by he who wants more of it, or he who is simply fed up, of course (as we have seen time and time again). Don’t you watch Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel? (Please tell me you haven’t completely limited your television intake to American Idol and Rock of Love.) Where are we now? In the name of this grand war on terror, we have given up freedoms, we have lost security in so many ways. This is the subject of David Cole’s new book, Less Safe, Less Free: Why America Is Losing the War on Terror
7:30 p.m., Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-4611.
MUSIC
The Hottest Thing in the Czech Republic
It’s different. It’s creepy. It’s engaging. And it’s even quite pretty. I love that I pay absolutely no attention whatsoever to the lyrics. They might even be good. I have no idea. Her voice and style are captivating and distracting enough. I consider that a good thing. Let me know if you’re disappointed. Lenka Dusilova is a relatively well-known Czech singer/songwriter, who now lives in California. Her previous band, Lucie, was the hottest thing in the Czech Republic in the 90s, opening for the Stones’ Prague show in 1995. Since then, she has gone on to win a Czech Academy of Music Angel Award for best rock album and best female vocalist. And she’s all your tonight, along with Jelloslave, another most interest sound. Two gals, eight strings. That would be two cellos. (Oh, how I love the cello!) Expect everything from Bach to Zeppelin.
7:30 p.m., The Cedar, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-2674; $15 and $25.
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