Category: Blog Post

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, co-written with Jules Lobel. If you want to hear Cole’s take, rather than my meager one, go see him for yourself. I guarantee you’ll get a lot more out of it than this.

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.

He didn’t exactly fall on his sword, but you gotta like Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for resigning because his popularity had fallen to Bush-like levels.

The NY Times put it like this: “Mr. Abe, deeply unpopular, had already been written off by Japan’s political establishment and news media, his political future measured in months.”

And, according to the Times, a Japanese political science professor put it like this: “the way Abe resigned suggests he lacked the qualifications to be prime minister in the first place.”

Why can’t the United States have a leader with self knowledge like that?

SPECIAL EVENTS
Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown today, so Happy Jewish New Year. Jewish or not, this might be a good time to take stock of the year’s mistakes and reflect upon the changes you need to make in your life. This isn’t about false resolutions, folks. Think about realistic things you can do to better your life, and then just follow through (simple as that). If you are Jewish, you might want to consider an evening service at the U of MN’s Hillel Jewish center, followed by dinner. If you’re lucky, you’ll get some honey-dipped apples or bread. I believe it’s also common practice to cast your sins into a river on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Just make sure you don’t have anything too valuable in your pockets before you start emptying them.

6 p.m., Hillel: The Jewish Student Center, 1521 University Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-379-4026; $20, students free. Make reservations by phone or by email.

BOOKS & AUTHORS
Invisible Forces and Spirits

Shamanism revolves around a central belief that our world is largely affected by an invisible spirit world with which we can communicate. These spirits, which are both good and bad, play an important role in our lives, and can be instrumental in healing, as well as in hurting. Few people you’ll meet understand this better than Christina Pratt, director of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing, and author of An Encyclopedia of Shamanism. Whether you actually meet her this afternoon is up to you — and your boss, probably. Pratt will be discussing her book at 2 p.m., followed by a book signing, so do what you can to get there. Whether you prescribe to the belief or not, it’ll be valuable knowledge. An Encyclopedia of Shamanism describes the major practices and beliefs of shamanism, as well as historical and cultural perspectives of the shaman and the shaman’s world.

2 p.m., U of MN Bookstore, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-626-0559; free.

FILM
God Is a Spider

Time for the next film in the Oak Street Cinema’s Bergman Tribute series. Through A Glass Darkly is the first film in Bergman’s trilogy of faith — followed by Winter Light and The Silence. See, even back in 1961, Bergman already knew that all good things come in threes. I told you the man was a genius. The film earned him his second Academy Award, only a year after his first (for The Virgin Spring). And all of this achieved with only four characters, in a sort of chamber play, sprinkled with emotional and mental instability, family issues, hallucinations, and a most famous interaction with a spider-like god. Beautiful! Watch the trailer.

7:30 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; $8 (seniors $6, members/students $5).

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
A Preview of the Mad Woman in the Attic

Jane Eyre already started at the Guthrie, but the official opening is Friday night. Expect a write-up next week, as soon as I’ve seen the production. I’m so looking forward to this interpretation of Brontë’s gothic romance classic. “Dread remorse when you are tempted to err, Miss Eyre; remorse is the poison of life.”

7:30 p.m., Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; $24-$44.

Measure for Measure

Also opening this evening is Nightpath Theatre’s production of Measure for Measure. Although this Shakespeare play was originally classified as a comedy, it’s actually considered one of his “problem plays” because it’s difficult to classify. And in beautiful Shakespeare fashion, the main plot revolves around a brother’s indiscretions. That’s right — fornication, my friends. Fornication. What strikes me about tonight’s performance, however, is the one-sentence description: “Shakespeare’s Problem Play, envisioned as a Gunsmoke Radio show.” Woo-hoo! Imagine that. A Gunsmoke radio show, eh? “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” BAM. BAM. Sure, why not? It sounds like Wyatt Earp to me — or any old Dodge City character. Besides, there’s generally a lot of “reckoning” in both Shakespeare and westerns.

8 p.m., Czech-Slovak Center, above the Glockenspiel restaurant, 383 Michigan Ave., St. Paul; 651-646-1764; $10.

MUSIC
Trading in One Sexy Chanteuse for Another

Bebel Gilberto was scheduled to play at Trocaderos this evening, but she no longer appears on their calendar, so I’m assuming it has been canceled. (What’s up with all the Trocadero shows that never come to fruition?) Fortunately, there’s another sexy singer ready to deliver. She’s hot. She’s hip. She’s gloriously talented. Katie Gearty serves up some lovely jazz, blues, and pop classics with a true jazz sensibility. That’s right — jazz is alive and well in Brooklyn Park, only it sports a nose ring there.

8 p.m., Rossi’s Blue Star, 80 South 9th St., Minneapolis; 612-312-2828.

Hardcore punk-rockers might enjoy Modern Life Is War at the Triple Rock Social Club this evening. The $10 show starts at 5 p.m., and apparently, Free Bacon Night begins at 9 p.m. Scary!

They might look innocent (and stylish) enough. But hear ye the simple story of how I came to know – the hard way – of my new running tights‘ nasty, little secret. (The culprit is as right.) Upon first inspection, the Adidas Response running Capri had all the features I sought of my autumn running gear: coverage, Coolmax, and spiff – thanks to Adidas’s fashionable triple racing stripes. Without second thought (and without trying them on, as a matter of fact) I tossed off my credit card and walked away happy with my purchase. It wasn’t until after that first run in my new pants, when I was doing butterfly stretches along with other members of my running group, that I noticed the “anatomical mesh insert” at the crotch. Come to think of it, I had caught a spectacular wind around Lake Harriet that day.

Here, I demonstrate the see-through crotch by holding the pants to a red lamp in my living room:

It’s nothing that can’t be solved by black undies. But I couldn’t help but wonder: How far will the establishment will go in keeping women’s thighs locked together. I mean, skirts and dresses are one thing. But must our exercise apparel, too, be so precarious?