If you find yourself travelling to New York City anytime over the next couple months, here’s a new installation exhibit you might want to check out.  It’s called Playing the Building and it’s the second such sound installation from Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.  (His first such exhibit was unveiled in Stockholm, Sweden back in 2005).

In a nutshell here’s how it works.  By retro-fitting an antique, wooden organ [seen above], Byrne has transformed the Battery Maritime Building in lower Manhattan into a musical instrument.  The organ is wired to different parts of the building’s infrastructure (radiators, steel girders, and plumbing pipes) and each time a key on the organ is struck it creates an entirely acoustic sound by activating small, pounding hammers, whirring motors, or by forcing air into pipes throughout the building’s 2nd floor gallery space.  Making the experience even more interesting is the fact the sounds seemingly go from high to low along the organ’s keyboard.

The Playing the Building sound installation began on May 31 and continues through August 10, 2008.  The exhibit is open Friday - Sunday from noon - 6pm and there is no admission charge.  For a better idea on how the Playing the Building exhibit works check out the video after the jump.  A very fascinating concept indeed, but I wouldn’t be looking for a “Building Hero” video game anytime in the near future. »Read More

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[Punishment on an American chain gang]

 [Written by Megan]  

                  
The Festival of the Photograph has officially begun and the highlight for the journalism wing of the photo community is the appearance of James Nachtwey, a journalist who’s been named “best in the world” so many times by so many organizations, it’s hard to list them all.  Photojournalists refer to him as a monk, a prophet. Nachtwey has made it his life mission a witness to all the pain that we are capable of creating and all that we are vulnerable to receiving.  »Read More

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We begin our weekend preview with a plug for a group of our cvilleMUSE buddies who will be making their live debut in Charlottesville on Saturday night. We think you should check ‘em out. The band is called The Moses and it features one of our own amongst its membership (that would be NewmaN for those who haven’t been following along). The Moses part the rock n roll waters on Saturday, June 14 at Saxx Jazz and Blues Lounge in Belmont. Joined on stage by The Vamanos (more friends in this one too) and The Raquellos (you guys can be our friends if you’re not already), doors open at 8pm, show starts at 9pm. Cover is $5 at the door.

[The Moses photo by Tom Daly]

For the rest of the weekend goodies… »Read More

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[”Las Meninas (Self Portrait)”, 1987 by Joel-Peter Watkin]

Second Street Gallery is hosting Joel Peter Witkin for FOTP  and you have to stop by and see it. It definitely stands apart from the other two featured photographers; Mary Ellen Park with her Prom-goer Portraits, and James Nachtwey and his war photography. The latter two are very talented photographers but Witkin is in his own genre. They are not merely photographs but fantastic images of sex, death, and religion. A sign on the door warns, “For Mature Audiences”.

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[photo from UVa’s Arts & Sciences magazine]

Tonight’s gonna be art-ilicious so don’t let the heat keep you at home. Here are my picks for this evening’s art scene: »Read More

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While some local cvillains are inspired to create art, most of us will be content to LOOK at this year’s Charlottesville Festival of the Photograph.

Some of you might have seen the preview to this festival with Flip Nicklin’s whales/dolphins inhabiting the downtown mall. From their press release:

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[Detail of a Thanga Press from UVa’s web site]

UVa announced today an upcoming exhibition of Himalayan art at the UVa Art museum, in response to Charlottesville’s and the UVa community’s interest. It will feature the art museum’s own increasing collection of Tibetan pieces as well as works from local collectors, faculty, and students. The Museum’s site promises you’ll get to see their “fine collection” of tangkas, which are scroll paintings by monks featuring usually religious or historical scenes. Himalayan art is apparently hot stuff here right now. I had no idea. Is this a University vs. Townie art aesthetic?

Show opens Friday, June 6th at the UVa Art Museum on Bayly Drive.

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Mildred Pierce, a local zine of “commentary on music, literature, art” is having a release party at The Bridge PAI on Saturday. This third issue promises to feature poetry, prose, illustrations, and a “humongous art insert”.  There are supposed to be live performances , food and bevvies, and a puppet show by local artist Sean Samoheyl, who was one of the artists that participated in the first Artini.

Saturday, May 31 at 8 pm @ 205 Monticello Road

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[Cubicle by Tracy Stone]

As a local artist who has to work a non-art related job to pay the bills, I often wonder what it would be like to not work another job, but simply spend all my days just creating and actually getting by.

Would I paint more? Would I make better paintings? Would I become famous? »Read More

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Well we haven’t heard a lot of reports from the weekend past, so I was curious as to what events filled your social calendar over the weekend.  And yes, the weather was horrible!!!

Anyone go see Radiohead over the weekend?  I just read the blog post from the guys at NPR’s All Song’s Considered and they had high praise for the band and considerably less praise for the venue and the weather. 

How was the Rock Out, Dine Out benefit for the Music Resource Center?  Fridays After Five?  My Morning Jacket on SNL?  Doc Watson at the Paramount?  Local shows?  Road trip concerts? 

In the end, maybe you were making final preparations on your ark like Thor over at cVillain because of all the rain?  Just curious.  High times, good times, wet or dry.  Tell us what we missed or what you saw.

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