Arts: October 2006 Archives

Almost forgot about the DUMBO Arts Fest (the 10th annual, at that). It runs October 13 through 15 and includes gallery shows, exhibits, outdoor skits and performance art, sculpture, open studios--pretty much anything that has to do with art and is in/near/or around DUMBO. Per usual, Halcyon is getting in on the action with DJs all weekend long.

There's a new space in Dumbo called powerHouse Arena.  It has something to do with a a bookstore called powerHouse Books. They publish art books and a magazine. The new space will have music, art, movies and books...I think. See the thing is, this powerHouse conglomerate sounds like it does many things well. Except websites, apparently, becuase it's really hard to find any information on the one they have. In any case, I'm almost positive they're showing two cool movies this weekend, Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary and Wild Style. I think this has something to do with VH1's "Hip Hop Honors" week, because, you know, VH1 is just so totally hip hop.

Want to contribute to the next art show you attend? Hit up Immaterial Influence in Sunset Park, where gallery-goers are encouraged to bring their own second-hand object to install at the exhibition. What's the show about? (These question marks should be leading you on like the good punctuation they are.) It's about the absence or lack. It's about air, space, time. It's about the space between air, space and time! Ah, if only Jacques Derrida were around to hear me utter this fabulous syntax--I miss you Jacques, so sorry we only met on a video monitor, but how postmodern, it was better than way, really!

A group called the Brooklyn Indie Market is hosting a retail show in Cobble Hill Park on Saturday the 21st. It's outdoors and includes apparel, handbags, jewelry, children's apparel, menswear, home goods and more. I have no idea if this will be different than other displays of handbags, jewelry, children's apparel, menswear, home goods and more that you're used to seeing in Brooklyn, but it will be close!

You already missed the inaugural Stoop Series, but lucky for everyone, it goes through June 2007. Slackers should have plenty of time to make that one Thursday of the month when NY Mag critic Logan Hill talks art, film, music, theory and literature. If you're prone to drunkenness, you'll be happy to know that Brooklyn Brewery is a sponsor. And if you hate Ratner but like Brooklyn's ability to produce art, well, you're in trouble.

It's all about BAM this weekend. So much stuff going on it's hard to figure out what to go to. On Friday, there's a dance piece set to Steve Reich music, and the Susan Sontag-inspired theater piece The End of Cinematics sounds interesting, but granted that's coming from someone who only has to pay $4 with a TheaterMania membership (definitely worth it if you like theater at all). But I'm not sure I can resist going to see Tod Browning's Freaks, one of the creepiest movies ever made, on the big screen. I've only seen it on video, but even then, this revenge thriller--starring actual pinheads and other circus sideshow folks--deeply freaked me out.  It's all the more shocking when you realize it was made in 1932. Saturday is Lost Highway, one of the few David Lynch movies I haven't seen. I either love his movies, or want to walk out of them. Any fans of this one out there?