Alex Bag, video still from Fascion (1997)
go!
First Saturdays Who said First Friday fun had to last just one night? Shampoo,
the bubbly Northern Liberties nightclub, is planning to extend
the art party one more night by hosting a series of "First Saturday"
art exhibitions. The inaugural Saturday, titled "Art/Style," will
feature a crew of big-name, cutting-edge creators: the comic,
self-reflective video art of Alex Bag; Bernadette Corporation's
focus on the occult in pop culture through fashion; a video collaboration
between Jack Pierson and Ursula Hodel; along with video installations,
paintings and photographs by Rob Pruitt, Tom Borgese, Hiroshi
Sunairi and Marcelo Krasilcic - all surrounded by the sounds of
DJ Randall Jones. Produced by the fire dept arts, a New York-based
company, the first First Saturday will be held Sept. 6, 9 p.m.-midnight
at Shampoo, on Willow Street between Seventh and Eighth Streets,
922-7500. -Susan Posternock Big Blue Meaning Derek Jarman's beautiful Blue is not the best movie to see crowded into someone's stinkin'
dorm room on their 12-inch TV. This tale of death and sex and
sadness and power is an escape from the everyday, so forget about
this week's episode of Melrose Place and find your way to Glenside. On the (sorta) big screen of the
Beaver College Little Theater you'll be sure to catch all the
subtle symbolism of the film. Or most of it, anyway. Showing Wednesday,
Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m., in conjunction with a Blue (NY), a solo exhibit of recent photographs by AIDS activist Donald
Moffett. Moffett's photographs of the blue, blue Manhattan sky
will be on view Sept. 17- Oct. 29 in the Beaver College Art Gallery.
Little Theater and Beaver College Art Gallery are located at 450
S. Easton Road. Call 572-2900 for information on both events.
Free. -Abby Salerno Harryette Mullen Quick, before Borders takes over the entire planet! Temple's Creative
Writing program is importing a long list of out-of-towners for
the Fall Poets and Writers Series, including Harryette Mullen
from Los Angeles. Having published four books of poetry, Tree Tall Woman, Trimmings, S*PerM**K*T and Muse & Drudge, she'll be spending some time with Temple students during the
week, but Sept. 18 she'll be all yours. The reading starts at
8 p.m. in Temple Gallery (45 N. Second St.). There won't be a
Danielle Steele novel or a raspberry mocha latte in sight. Call
204-1796 for information. -A.S. Shanghai Surprise If the artists came all the way from Shanghai to share their work
with you, surely you can manage to take the R5 to Villanova to
see it. As part of an ongoing cultural exchange with the East
China Normal University in Shanghai, Villanova's Bridges of Friendship Renewed and Strengthened offers not only the chance to see what art students on the other
side of the globe are doing right now, but the chance to meet
them face to face and ask all the questions you want. A reception
for the artists will be held at the Connelly Center's Art Gallery
Sept. 20 from 4-6 p.m. and demonstrations in techniques of Chinese
art (and cooking!) are planned. The exhibit contains work in a
wide range of styles and mediums - from contemporary and traditional
Chinese oils and acrylics to pen-and-ink drawings, portraits,
landscapes, and calligraphy on rice paper by both students and
instructors. And it's free! The exhibition runs Sept. 5-Oct. 31. The Connelly Center is located
at 800 Lancaster Ave. in Villanova. Call (610) 519-4612 for more
information. -A.S. The Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble The Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble (on a shared bill with the
Koresh Dance Company and Flamenco Olé) performs Sept. 25-27 as
part of the "Philadelphia Dances" performance series, hosted by
UArts and the Philadelphia Dance Alliance. The Voloshky Ensemble,
while still a ballet company, eschews traditional tutus and Tchaikovsky
for live Ukrainian musical accompaniment and highly dramatic character
dance. Oct. 23-25, Chris Aiken and Cathy Young reinterpret the
basic pas de deux with jazz-based improvisational dance. Paradigm
and Melanie Stewart dance companies also perform. All performances
start at 7:30 p.m. at the UArts Dance Theater, Drake Tower, 15th
& Spruce Streets. For more details on the series or these performances,
call 875-2269. -A.S. A scene from Herbert's Hippopotamus. NextFrame Film Festival The organizers of the UFVA Student Film & Video Festival are sick
of hearing the name of their event butchered. "We've heard everything
from the 'Oofvah Festival' to the 'USDA Festival,'" writes director
Denis Doyon in the program for this year's screenings. So they
changed the name to "NextFrame" - it's short and sweet. But that
doesn't mean you're going to be shortchanged when it comes to
films. In fact, this year is bigger than ever, with 37 pieces
being exhibited over four nights, from Friday, Sept. 26, to Friday,
Oct. 3. A few of the highlights include Watch Me Jumpstart, a documentary about the band Guided By Voices (the kings of
lo-fi rock); Herbert's Hippopotamus, a portrait of German intellectual Herbert Mancuse; and Double-Handed, a coming-of-age narrative set and shot in Philadelphia. Indie
film guru John Pierson (author of Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes) will be the guest speaker on Sunday, Sept. 28. Local director
Caran Hartsfield presents her film Double-Handed on Saturday, Sept 27. Most of the events take place at The International House, 3701
Chestnut St. There will also be an installation-style show of
experimental films on Oct. 3 at Big Jar Book Store, 55 N. Second
St., and Temple Gallery, 45 N. Second St. Call 923-3532 for more
information. Yo, Reject! For those of you who didn't get your self-made flick into the UFVA festival, or Cannes, or
Sundance, don't be depressed. The Reject FilmFest wants you -
or at least your film. Step aside Spielberg, this first-year festival
is only showing previously rejected material. Each entry to the
fest must include proof of rejection from another film/video festival.
They suggest a rejection letter, a videotaped deposition, or a
notarized affidavit. All submissions are free, but, if accepted,
there will be a screening fee of $30 for 30 minutes or less and
$60 for anything over 30 minutes. To enter, send a film formatted
for a one-half inch VHS video of any content, format or style,
and a brief synopsis of the work to: Reject Filmfest, c/o MINI
MACE PRO film & video, 1204-06 Walnut St., Suite 3, Phila., PA
19107. The festival will be held on Oct. 24 & 25. The deadline
for entry is Sept. 25 so get moving. Call 546-2234 for more info.
-S.P.
September
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Sept 25-27
Sept 26-Oct 3
Oct 24-25