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Ten From TWI-NY: 10-4-06

TEN FROM TWI-NY: THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK

For a great selection of recommended events in New York, check out Mark Rifkin's picks below, and then head over to http://www.twi-ny.com for more...

OPENHOUSENEWYORK
Various venues in all five boroughs
October 7-8
Admission: free, but reservations required for some sites
212-991-OHNY
http://ohny.org

Openhousenewyork oprns up south side of Ellis Island; Photo by Mark Rifkin

One of our favorite events of the year, openhousenewyork opens up the doors of some of New York’s most exciting and impossible-to-get-into locations from all across the five boroughs. In the first three years of this spectacular event, we got to see such great spots as the Grand Lodge of Masons on West 23rd St., both downtown marble cemeteries, and the rarely open south side of Ellis Island (which is available again this year–don’t miss it!). Take a careful look at the Web site, because some places and special tours require advance reservations, and they fill up fast. And be prepared for very long lines at many spots where it’s first come, first served. We recommend you plan things out geographically, making up a schedule to see a number of different things in the same area to make the most of your time. Among the dozens of participants are the General Grant National Memorial, the Little Red Lighthouse, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, the Rockefeller Center Rooftop Garden, Governors Island, the Green-Wood Cemetery, Coney Island, the South Street Seaport, Times Square, West Harlem, the United Nations, and lots of other international cultural centers, cemeteries, museums, colleges, religious institutions, libraries, restaurants, theaters, public spaces, and architectural design offices.

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NEW YORK RANGERS
Madison Square Garden
31st to 33rd Sts. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
October 5 through April 7
Tickets: $30.50 - $704.50
Individual game tickets now on sale
212-465-6741
http://www.newyorkrangers.com
http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/805991

Thhe Rangers season begins October 5; Photo by Mark Rifkin

Expected to have a miserable season last year, the Rangers finished 44-26-12 in 2005-6, defying all predictions by making the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Behind the stellar goaltending of rookie Henrik Lundqvist (30-12-9, 2.24), a rejuvenated Jaromir Jagr (breaking team records for goals, 54, and points, 123), and the solid coaching of Tom Renney, the Broadway Blueshirts reasserted their dominance in the World’s Most Famous Arena, getting strong support from a little-known cast that included Peter Prucha, Jed Ortmeyer (whose career might be in jeopardy because of a pulmonary embolism), Ryan Hollweg, Blair Betts, Fedor Tyutin, Michal Rozsival, Michael Nylander, and Jason Ward. During the summer, the Rangers chose not to re-sign Petr Sykora, Tom Poti, Steve Rucchin, and Martin Rucinsky and traded Dominic Moore, and they added aging sharpshooter Brendan Shanahan along with Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward, and several no-names both young and old. The Rangers kick off their season on October 5; you can find us again in section 416, as always with dreams of Lord Stanley dancing in our heads.

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ANISH KAPOOR: SKY MIRROR
Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center
Fifth Ave. between 49th & 50th Sts.
Through October 27
Admission: free
800-490-0773
www.rockefellercenter.com
publicartfund.org/pafweb/projects/06/kapoor/kapoor-06.html

"Sky Mirror" offers time to reflect at Rockefeller Center; Photos by Mark Rifkin

In April 2001, Mumbai-born artist Anish Kapoor installed a two-sided polished stainless-steel round dish in Nottingham, England. He has expanded that work for the New York City version of “Sky Mirror,” a 35-foot diameter mirror that was installed at the head of the Channel Gardens in Rockefeller Center on September 19 and will remain up through October 27. Nearly three stories high and weighing 23 tons, the piece, which Kapoor refers to as a “non-object,” casts a unique eye on one of New York’s most-visited tourist spots. The concave side looks up at 30 Rockefeller Center, reflecting the buildings as if they’re dangling upside down from the sky. The convex side faces Fifth Ave., reflecting a fish-eye’s view of teeming crowds, Saks, and the passing traffic. Lines on both sides create slight distortions that playfully alter reality. If you stand across the street in front of Saks and position yourself just right, it looks like 30 Rock is extending out of the department store itself. This past summer, we checked out Kapoor’s amazing “Cloud Gate” sculpture at Millennium Park in Chicago. Affectionately known as the Bean, the 110-ton permanent installation, which you can walk around and under, is more at home in its environment than the new “Sky Mirror,” which is fun but not nearly as mind-blowing.

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NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
George Gustav Heye Center
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
1 Bowling Green
Open every day, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (8:00 pm on Thursdays)
Admission: free
212-514-3700
http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=exhibitions&second=ny

Roxanne Swentzell, "Hands Up!" ceramic, paint, Taos, New Mexico, 1990

A part of the Smithsonian Institution, the always-free National Museum of the American Indian is located in the magnificent old Beaux-Arts U.S. Custom House (on the former site of Fort Amsterdam), designed by Cass Gilbert. The facade of the building includes numerous sculpted heads from all over the world, by such artists as Jaegers, Lukeman, and Ruckstuhl. But it’s Daniel Chester French’s four large sculptures, called “Asia,” “America,” “Europe,” and “Africa,” that will take your breath away. Once inside, be sure to check out the Cashier’s Office, which leads to the library reference desk, as well as the Great Hall, and then marvel at the spectacular Rotunda, featuring 1937 shipping-themed ceiling murals by Reginald Marsh of Verrazano, Hudson, Cabot, Columbus, and more, surrounding the 140-ton skylight. There are several excellent exhibits at the museum right now, combining craft, storytelling, tradition, art, culture, and history. “Born of Clay: Ceramics from the National Museum of the American Indian” (through May 30, 2007) is an outstanding collection of hundreds of vessels, dating back thousands of years. Navajo artist R.C. Gorman passed away last November, so in tribute to his work, the museum is mounting the small but engaging “R.C. Gorman: Early Prints and Drawings, 1966-1974” (through December 5). In prints, drawings, and oil paintings, Gorman depicted the male and female figure in different poses. “Indigenous Motivations: Recent Acquisitions from the National Museum of the American Indian” (through July 22, 2007) consists of pieces acquired since 1990, including clothing, textile designs, painting, sculpture, pots, totem pole models, animal banks, jewelry, mini-moccasins, kitchenware, and more emphasizing tradition, innovation, and art. Finally, “Beauty Surrounds Us” (through September 23, 2008) inaugurates the new Diker Pavilion for Native Arts and Cultures with a vast array of pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, from cribbage boards, high-kick balls, and clothing to musical instruments, baskets, tools, and masks, examining identity, recreation, presentation, tradition, communication, expression of movement, and the power of transformation.

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Pablo Lopez, "The Oasis," at Photo NY

PHOTO NY
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Friday, October 6 through Sunday, October 8
Admission: $15; three-day pass $25
Lectures and seminars: $10-$75
212-265-1040
http://metropolitanevents.com
http://artfairsinc.com/photony/2006

Approximately 50 exhibitors, as well as special installations (“The Oasis” by Pablo Lopez, “Cattle on North 9th” by Bryan Zanisnik), book signings (Amy Arbus), lectures and Seminars (Rick Wester, Stephen Perloff, David Levinthal, Alex Webb)

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BEERFEST 2006: BEER ON THE PIER 3
The Un-convention Center
Pier 94
West 55th St. & West Side Hwy.
Saturday, October 7
888-695-0888
http://www.beeronthepier.com

Third annual event featuring dozens of beers from all over the world (including B.B. Burgerbrau, Butternuts, Dogfish Head, Efes, Goose Island, Keegan Ales, Namyslow, Ochakovo, Okocim, Original Sin Cider, Singha, Smuttynose, St. Peters, Wychwood, and Zyweic), live performances by BuzzUniverse (12:30), Black 47 (2:00), and Wine with Sue (8:00), and food from Spanky’s BBQ, $43.50, 12 noon – 4:00 and 6:00 – 10:00

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MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL
Fort Tryon Park
Admission: free
Sunday, October 8
212-795-1600
http://www.whidc.org/home.html

Twenty-second annual event celebrating the customs and traditions of the Middle Ages, with jugglers, jesters, jousters, minstrels, magicians, music, dance, storytelling, children’s costume parade, pipes and drums, sock puppets, theater, demonstrations, crafts, a hawk watch, food and drink, and more, 12 noon – 6:00

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LE PARCOURS INITIATIQUE
La Maison du Chocolat
1018 Madison Ave.at 78th St.
Limited seating: advance reservations required
212-744-7117
http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/mdcs/parcours.php

Monday, October 9 and Tuesday, October 10
Tamanaco: A Journey in the World of Chocolate, chocolate tastings of ganaches, $55, 6:30

Wednesday, October 11 and Thursday, October 12
The Duo: The Intertwining of Complimentary Flavors, tastings of chocolate with tea and coffee, $60, 6:30

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A KINGS COUNTY TALE
by Stimulus (October 10, Sugarwater Recordings)
http://www.myspace.com/stimdash

Stimulus's solo debut comes out of Brooklyn

Last month we caught one of the best hip-hop shows of the year, with Stimulus and Jean Grae bringing down the house at the Canal Room. Brooklyn’s own Stimulus is now releasing his first solo disc, the well-titled A KINGS COUNTY TALE. The album kicks off with “The Story,” a musical and verbal history of hip-hop with a killer hook. Some Bob Marley makes its way into “Racing Against the Sun,” which deals with color and blackness. In “One Chance,” Stimulus is helped by Kae Hoc and Cali Bud in proclaiming, “We rock till five in the a.m. / We are the reason for the mayhem.” In “S.T.I.M.U.L.U.S.,” he raps out his name letter by letter. He gets a little sexy-dirty in “So High,” with Maya Azucena pitching in. In “Standing Firm,” Steele & Natty Bless help out with an infectious background call. Stimulus gets more serious in “Dollar Bill,” singing about the importance of the almighty dollar in the drug culture. And in “The Middle,” while Stimulus curses out the president, Donysos declares, “We’re the middle children of history, man / No purpose or place / And I see all this potential / And I see it squandered / And we’re very pissed off.” A KINGS COUNTY TALE is an excellent start for this up-and-coming talent. Monday, October 9: The Real Live Show & Kudu, with Stimulus, Nu Blu, 62 Ave. C between Fourth & Fifth Sts., $5, 10:00 Thursday, October 12: Crooklyn Dodgers: A Special Tribute to Spike Lee 20 Years of Filmmaking, with Masta Ace, Special Ed, Buckshot, and DJ Stimulus, with screenings of DO THE RIGHT THING and CROOKLYN, South Paw, 125 Fifth Ave. between Sterling & St. John Pl., $20, 11:00

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HAI BO
Max Protetch
511 West 22nd St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Through October 14
Closed Sunday & Monday
Admission: free
212-633-6999
http://maxprotetch.com

Hai Bo, The Northern Series, digital print, 2005

Beijing-based photographer Hai Bo has turned his lens onto vast, wide-open landscapes in Northern China, populating each large-scale work (except one) with a solitary figure. “The Northern Series” comprises eight side-by-side shots of men of different ages on old bicycles in the foreground of a long dirt road, riding toward the camera, nothing but flat land and blue sky behind them, as if past, present, and future are intersecting all at once. In gorgeous black and white, a man walks down a snowy road, seemingly heading nowhere. Hai Bo’s photos evoke memory and loneliness: A ghostly figure hovers in a bleak forest, almost melding into the background. A cart moves through a vacant horizontal plain. A blurred man makes his way across a shimmering landscape at sunset. These lone people seem almost desperate for an individuality that has been shunned by the Chinese government for centuries. Standing in front of these mesmerizing works, it is difficult not to get caught up in your own past.

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EAR TO THE EARTH: A UNIQUE FESTIVAL OF MUSIC, SOUND ART, AND ECOLOGY 3-Legged Dog Art & Technology Center (3LD)
80 Greenwich St. below Rector St.
Judson Church (JC)
Washington Sq. South between Thompson & Sullivan Sts.
Winter Garden, World Financial Center (WG)
Battery Park City
October 6-14
Concerts: $10; Festival Pass $35
888-749-9998
http://www.eartotheearth.org

Flutter, from Polar Projects by Philip Dadson; Photo by Philip Dadson

This ambitious nine-day festival focuses on vanishing natural environments around the world, with special audio and visual presentations at several downtown venues, all free or $10, conceived and organized by the nonprofit Electronic Music Foundation.

Friday, October 6
Opening reception, with demonstrations by Andrea Polli and Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, performance of the NYSoundmap, artist encounters, installations, and refreshments, 3LD, free but reservations required, 7:00

Saturday, October 7
Panel Discussion: On Melting Ice, stories and presentations by Phil Dadson, Andrea Polli and Joe Gilmore, Bernie Krause, and others, free, 3LD, 6:00

Saturday, October 7
Extended Worlds: Iannis Xenakis, Concrète PH; David Monacchi, Stati d'Acqua / States of Water; Philip Dadson, Song/Stone Toktok; Maggi Payne, Apparent Horizon; Luc Ferrari, Presque Rien 2 Part 1; Joel Chadabe, One World, 3LD, 8:00

Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, October 14
The State of the City: audio-mapping installation, 3LD, free, 12 noon – 4:00/6:00

Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, October 14
Water and Ice: sound and visual water encounters, 3LD, free, 12 noon – 4:00/6:00

Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, October 14
Elevated Harmonies: harmonized ambient sounds in real time, Elevated Acre, 55 Water St., free, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Sunday, October 8
Panel Discussion: What Water Means, with Steven Feld, Annea Lockwood, David Monacchi, and a representative of Young Digital Creators, 3LD, free, 6:00

Sunday, October 8
Currents: Waterfalls of Song with Steven Feld -- Bosavi, Papua New Guinea; Suikinkutsu, Kyoto, Japan; the Anomabo Shore, Anomabo, Ghana; Circling the Arctic, Pyhajarvi, Vikajarvi, Saunavaara, and Rovaniemi, Finland, 3LD, 8:00

Monday, October 9
Ports of Call 1: Jean-Claude Risset, Sud; Cécile Le Prado, Le Triangle d'Incertitude; Luc Ferrari, Far West News, JC, 8:00

Monday, October 9
Calls of the Wild: Glacier Bay National Park, WG, free, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Tuesday, October 10
Calls of the Wild: the Madagascar Rain Forest, WG, free, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Tuesday, October 10
Pioneers of Acoustic Ecology: Barry Truax, Pendlerdrøm; Hildegard Westerkamp, Into the Labyrinth; Barry Truax, Island; Hildegard Westerkamp, Für Dich/For You, JC, 8:00

Wednesday, October 11
Calls of the Wild: the Sumatra forest, WG, free, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Wednesday, October 11
Ports of Call 2: Pierre Mariétan, Le Son de Hanoï, Cité Musique; Steven Feld, A Copenhagen Carillon; Hildegard Westerkamp, Talking Rain; Steven M. Miller, Along the Pecos, JC, 8:00

Thursday, October 12
Calls of the Wild: the California coast, WG, free, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Thursday, October 12
Global Mix: John Cage, Williams Mix; Thomas Gerwin, e-scape No. 3; Robert Rowe, Freesound Mix; David Dunn, Driven Behaviors, JC, 8:00
Friday, October 13
Calls of the Wild: Sierra Nevada, WG, free, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Friday, October 13
New Voices / Suspended Sounds: Thomas Gerwin, Aleksei Stevens, Rama Gottfried, 3LD, 8:00

Saturday, October 14
Panel Discussion: Sound Art and Preservation, with Shankar Barua, Laurie Spiegel, David Dunn, David Monacchi, James Danoff-Burg, and Jim Tolisano, 3LD, free, 6:00

Saturday, October 14
Suspended Sounds: environments of sound featuring endangered and threatened species, including North America Scene 1, Australia and South Pacific Scene 2, East Asia Scene 3, Hawaii Scene 4, Central and South America Scene 5, Oceana Scene 6, Hawaii Scene 7, North America Scene 8, Oceana Scene 9, Africa Scene 10, and Hawaii Scene 11, 3LD, 8:00

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