Art weekend
Oct. 9th, 2007 06:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidFriday I walked over to MIT to see hundreds of glass pumpkins. The sale is always on Shabbat (this was the preview), so I never have to consider which of the throng might want to come home with me, focusing instead on the glory of that many glass gourds in so many different colors and patterns, with such lovely twisting stems. Of note this year: two large orange ones... that somehow had black jack-o-lantern faces on them. And I was there when they delivered an 850-lb pumpkin nearby as well. (I wonder how one disposes of that large a pumpkin later...)
Thanks to Gilana, I got to go to an open rehearsal of ASP's upcoming production of that Scottish play, the first time I'll have seen it done as an all-female cast (and director, actually). They ran through two scenes, one that they'd done before, the other as a first run-through. It was interesting to see how it progressed as they stopped and reworked and restarted. I've been to staged readings and final run-throughs, but never a rehearsal at this stage; it was interesting. The questions afterward were mostly focused on how staging it with women changes the play or challenges the actors.
Also interesting was that they're using the basement of the Garage, the space they used for a couple of plays last year, as rehearsal space; I wonder whether there's some agreement with the Garage management now, that this can be a sort of home, even though they put the plays on in a variety of venues. The show will be at BU, in the challenging asymmetric space with a huge pole in it. There was a model of how the set will be, and while it will be similar to the Lear layout, with the audience diagonalized on two sides, the angle will be different, no longer including the sweeping staircase on one side. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out.
Shabbat was the last day of the mosaic exhibit at the Somerville Museum, which I very much wanted to see. It would have helped had I paid attention to the street address, especially since it was very hot that afternoon (global warming, anyone?), but I made it there in the end. I meandered around, and saw some things that were amazing, pictures that played with texture, using the tesserae in interesting ways. And I saw a lot of things that didn't interest me at all, that felt more like the artist used solidly colored pieces to make large pointillist-ish pieces (some of which weren't mortared, which I found odd, since I think of mortar as intrinsic to mosaic). So now I know that I prefer things that use patterns and found things in a much more... quilty sort of aesthetic. (Again with the lack of artistic verbiage to be truly coherent.)
I happened to catch part of a talk by a couple of mosaicists, which was interesting, even though neither of them were ones whose art I felt compelled by. They had a resources sheet, which is how I found out about the mosaic atlas, photos of mosaics from around the world. Not complete, of course, but it's a great start.
The one down side about my long cut to the museum: there was no way I could face going to Davis for the HONK! festival. Alas, for I heard it was wonderful.
Motza'i Shabbat, Gilana, Coorr, Torcha, and I headed south to Waterfire, one of the last times this season (there's at least one more at the end of the month, though). The only other time I came, I took a circuitous route, and didn't encounter the massive traffic backups we had this time. On the plus side, there was pleasant company to chat with while waiting, rather than just hoping something good would play on the radio.
I hadn't realized that the evening was dedicated to raising funds to battle breast cancer, though the state house lit up in pink should've given me a clue. That meant that there were blinky pins for sale. And pink ribbon mylar balloons all over the place. And a whole section with stuff to buy. Which felt rather more commercial than the other time I went, and not in a good way. Fortunately, it wasn't totally omnipresent, and there was one fundraiser I liked: people wrote messages on cards that went with 'paper bags' with tea lights in them, that were set up along the shoulder-high walls.
The fire was beautiful, sparks blazing high above the water. And the soundtrack of world music is lovely, when there weren't unfortunate overlaps with performers. It's worse having two battling pieces in one space than a cacophony of many, somehow, when the sounds jar against each other.
Other highlights for me were the tiles for peace in one of the underpasses; the grand piano with tangoing couple alongside; watching the gondolas and bonfire refuelers and other water craft, and wondering what it would be like to be out on the water; finding the jazz stage (set back enough that the soundscape was separate) with the amazing swirls of light projected on the brick walls of the surrounding buildings; and poi spinners on the tip of an island in the middle of the river.
Note to self: now that you've gone alone and with friends, next time go with someone you'll hold hands (...) with; it can be hard to be in such a romantic, paired place without that sometimes.
Sunday I had to go to the HONK! parade. And it was absolutely wonderful, a melange of marching bands (not all of the ones that played at HONK!fest, but many), political commentary (all on the impeachment/ end the war in Iraq/ protesting the current trend towards increased surveillance end of the spectrum. FYI, there will be anti-war rallies in ten cities on October 27.), and puppetry (Bread and Puppet! with circus band! Also stilt horses. And people in generally wild costumes). Interestingly, there weren't overlapping soundscape issues in this parade, which was pretty amazing, given how much of it was musical. And I found out that there's roller derby in Boston! (Well, metro Boston, anyway.) I definitely have to see the Boston Derby Dames sometime (when Shabbat ends really early...)
The bands included the What Cheer? Brigade, Rude Mechanical Orchestra, the Leftist Marching Band, the Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, Near and Now One-Man Band and Healing Orchestra, Pink Puffers Drum & Brass Phunk Band, and March Fourth Marching Band, which was the last band, and so wonderful that I had to tag along at the end of the parade down to Harvard Square, just to keep listening. There were more bands, too, but I'm blanking on which, though I know there was one stroller brigade, parents (and sometimes kids) hitting or shaking (but not stirring :-) percussive things.
Actually, March Fourth was scheduled to perform at Oktoberfest later in the afternoon, and I had to come back. They're incredibly talented musicians (I couldn't help but start dancing), plus the juggler and dancers and stilt performers were great. I remain in awe of what people can do on stilts. They were the last set, after which the remaining HONK! bands paraded out to Cambridge Common, and kept playing as people danced and night fell. I felt like shouting the sunset, though it's nowhere near as abrupt as over the cliffs surrounding Black Rock City....
[In fact, the HONK! brought out that sense of wonder and amazement at communal creativity that felt almost normal at BRC; it was exciting to feel that back home.]
Happily, Ruthling took photos. So did other people; some are here. And a huge Flickr pool (some from Honk! Fest, some of the parade). And from the Honkfest site.
Thanks to Gilana, I got to go to an open rehearsal of ASP's upcoming production of that Scottish play, the first time I'll have seen it done as an all-female cast (and director, actually). They ran through two scenes, one that they'd done before, the other as a first run-through. It was interesting to see how it progressed as they stopped and reworked and restarted. I've been to staged readings and final run-throughs, but never a rehearsal at this stage; it was interesting. The questions afterward were mostly focused on how staging it with women changes the play or challenges the actors.
Also interesting was that they're using the basement of the Garage, the space they used for a couple of plays last year, as rehearsal space; I wonder whether there's some agreement with the Garage management now, that this can be a sort of home, even though they put the plays on in a variety of venues. The show will be at BU, in the challenging asymmetric space with a huge pole in it. There was a model of how the set will be, and while it will be similar to the Lear layout, with the audience diagonalized on two sides, the angle will be different, no longer including the sweeping staircase on one side. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out.
Shabbat was the last day of the mosaic exhibit at the Somerville Museum, which I very much wanted to see. It would have helped had I paid attention to the street address, especially since it was very hot that afternoon (global warming, anyone?), but I made it there in the end. I meandered around, and saw some things that were amazing, pictures that played with texture, using the tesserae in interesting ways. And I saw a lot of things that didn't interest me at all, that felt more like the artist used solidly colored pieces to make large pointillist-ish pieces (some of which weren't mortared, which I found odd, since I think of mortar as intrinsic to mosaic). So now I know that I prefer things that use patterns and found things in a much more... quilty sort of aesthetic. (Again with the lack of artistic verbiage to be truly coherent.)
I happened to catch part of a talk by a couple of mosaicists, which was interesting, even though neither of them were ones whose art I felt compelled by. They had a resources sheet, which is how I found out about the mosaic atlas, photos of mosaics from around the world. Not complete, of course, but it's a great start.
The one down side about my long cut to the museum: there was no way I could face going to Davis for the HONK! festival. Alas, for I heard it was wonderful.
Motza'i Shabbat, Gilana, Coorr, Torcha, and I headed south to Waterfire, one of the last times this season (there's at least one more at the end of the month, though). The only other time I came, I took a circuitous route, and didn't encounter the massive traffic backups we had this time. On the plus side, there was pleasant company to chat with while waiting, rather than just hoping something good would play on the radio.
I hadn't realized that the evening was dedicated to raising funds to battle breast cancer, though the state house lit up in pink should've given me a clue. That meant that there were blinky pins for sale. And pink ribbon mylar balloons all over the place. And a whole section with stuff to buy. Which felt rather more commercial than the other time I went, and not in a good way. Fortunately, it wasn't totally omnipresent, and there was one fundraiser I liked: people wrote messages on cards that went with 'paper bags' with tea lights in them, that were set up along the shoulder-high walls.
The fire was beautiful, sparks blazing high above the water. And the soundtrack of world music is lovely, when there weren't unfortunate overlaps with performers. It's worse having two battling pieces in one space than a cacophony of many, somehow, when the sounds jar against each other.
Other highlights for me were the tiles for peace in one of the underpasses; the grand piano with tangoing couple alongside; watching the gondolas and bonfire refuelers and other water craft, and wondering what it would be like to be out on the water; finding the jazz stage (set back enough that the soundscape was separate) with the amazing swirls of light projected on the brick walls of the surrounding buildings; and poi spinners on the tip of an island in the middle of the river.
Note to self: now that you've gone alone and with friends, next time go with someone you'll hold hands (...) with; it can be hard to be in such a romantic, paired place without that sometimes.
Sunday I had to go to the HONK! parade. And it was absolutely wonderful, a melange of marching bands (not all of the ones that played at HONK!fest, but many), political commentary (all on the impeachment/ end the war in Iraq/ protesting the current trend towards increased surveillance end of the spectrum. FYI, there will be anti-war rallies in ten cities on October 27.), and puppetry (Bread and Puppet! with circus band! Also stilt horses. And people in generally wild costumes). Interestingly, there weren't overlapping soundscape issues in this parade, which was pretty amazing, given how much of it was musical. And I found out that there's roller derby in Boston! (Well, metro Boston, anyway.) I definitely have to see the Boston Derby Dames sometime (when Shabbat ends really early...)
The bands included the What Cheer? Brigade, Rude Mechanical Orchestra, the Leftist Marching Band, the Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, Near and Now One-Man Band and Healing Orchestra, Pink Puffers Drum & Brass Phunk Band, and March Fourth Marching Band, which was the last band, and so wonderful that I had to tag along at the end of the parade down to Harvard Square, just to keep listening. There were more bands, too, but I'm blanking on which, though I know there was one stroller brigade, parents (and sometimes kids) hitting or shaking (but not stirring :-) percussive things.
Actually, March Fourth was scheduled to perform at Oktoberfest later in the afternoon, and I had to come back. They're incredibly talented musicians (I couldn't help but start dancing), plus the juggler and dancers and stilt performers were great. I remain in awe of what people can do on stilts. They were the last set, after which the remaining HONK! bands paraded out to Cambridge Common, and kept playing as people danced and night fell. I felt like shouting the sunset, though it's nowhere near as abrupt as over the cliffs surrounding Black Rock City....
[In fact, the HONK! brought out that sense of wonder and amazement at communal creativity that felt almost normal at BRC; it was exciting to feel that back home.]
Happily, Ruthling took photos. So did other people; some are here. And a huge Flickr pool (some from Honk! Fest, some of the parade). And from the Honkfest site.
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-09 10:59 pm (UTC)Also, happy birthday! Hope it's been a good one :)
no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 12:05 am (UTC)Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 12:25 am (UTC)Thanks for pointing out the Honk flickr group, I just dumped my mess of photos there as well.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 12:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 02:58 am (UTC)I suppose I shouldn't be amazed at how many people I know went a-Honking; it was a great event.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 02:59 am (UTC)I hope the moving's going smoothly...
(Let me know if dinner or something would be useful, ok?)
no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 03:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-11 03:28 pm (UTC)