Posts Tagged ‘on the mall’

Artist Speaking Event: Thursday, October 1

Patten and I sat captivated in the Hirshhorn’s black box theater, as we watched Guido’s “Nummer Acht (#8) everything is going to be alright.” Essentially, it’s a 10-minute video of a gigantic ship cutting through ice, with Guido walking in front of its prow. It’s absolutely mesmerizing. In her thorough review of the film, WaPo’s Jessica Dawson puts it this way:

Both boat and figure move in lockstep. Van der Werve continues forward while the icebreaker keeps pace. The scene appears as if it could go on indefinitely. To suggest just such an endless journey, van der Werve ends the film as suddenly as it began, snapping back to a silent black screen and final credits.

What to make of this? Though the action is minimal, the psychology is intense. The stark image of man pursued by industrial beast glues us to our seats. When will the man fall tragically through the ice? When will he break into a run? Will the ship give up pursuit? As time passes and it becomes clear that, in fact, nothing will happen next, the film turns into a philosophical exercise.

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Guido will be speaking about his film (and other works) at the Hirshhorn Museum this Thursday at 7 p.m., in the third-floor Lerner room. Nummer Acht—a snippet of which I’ve embed below—will be on display through October 11. If you haven’t seen it, get thee to the black box. If you’re like me, you’ll watch the video loop twice.

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Unreserved Seating

Bet you can’t guess when this photo was taken….

Title: Unreserved Seating
Photographer: Patten Wood
SIT-uation: July 4, 2009. It’s nothing like the inauguration crowds, but at least there’s a lot of quality lounging.

Weekend To-Do’s

My, my! What a weekend we have in store! There are way too many things in my what’s-worth-it sieve. The only solution, as I see it, is to leave your desk right now and start your weekend early. So….

* Friday

11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.: Head down to the mall for a little culture at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This year’s festival welcomes Wales, which means you can expect a Glamorgan sausage or two. The festival runs through Sunday. In addition to Cymru, this year’s festival also celebrates African-American storytelling traditions and the music of Latin America. !Ay Caramba!

8 p.m. and 11 p.m.: Those who heeded my advice last weekend, purchased tickets for this week’s Source Festival. How was it? Do you love me now? For those who’ve procrastinated, there are still tickets available ($18 each) for tonight’s two performances of the 10-minute plays.

* Saturday

10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Eastern Market Re-Opens with an all-day street party (!!!), as if the market lunch wasn’t enough to get you there in the first place…

11 a.m.-8 p.m.: The annual Extravaganza Parade (pictured above), as part of the DC Caribbean Carnival, starts at Georgia and Missouri avenues at 11:00 a.m. and terminates at the international marketplace in Banneker Recreation Park, where you can stuff yourself with jerk chicken and dance away your worries till sunset. I’ve yet to go to this annual event, but I will be there this year!

* Sunday

11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.: I’ll be helping a friend move, but for those of you that need evermore outdoor festivities, try the National Capital BBQ. The $10 tickets include lots of free pig.

Photo by IntangibleArts via Flickr.

Sitting Tall

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to swap the “f” for a “t” and post a photo of someone sitting in the city. Like I explained last week, inanimate objects are game too, thus the photo of old Abe below. See how easy this is! Got a City Sitting shot? Please send by Tuesday, so I can post the next day.

Title: Sitting Tall
Photographer: Patten Wood
SIT-uation: I was at the Lincoln Memorial recently with a friend and thought, now that’s the city sitter.

Weekend To Do’s

In case you missed the first installment last week, welcome to WTD. Each Friday here on City Sifting, you’ll find short list of the most interesting stuff (in my opinion) that’s happening over the weekend. Did I miss something exciting? Let me know in the comments of this post. And, enjoy the long weekend!

* Friday

5 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: It’s the first night of Jazz in the Garden! You can count me in. And if you’re lucky, you’ll see this guy there too, plus a few blankets and a bottle of wine. Not sure what in the heck I’m talking about? Read last year’s post on Jazz in the Garden here, then come celebrate with us.

* Saturday

noon-6 p.m. The public pools are open!!! And with a forecasted high of 86 degrees, I can’t think of better activity to get the summer rollin’. Here’s a list of all of D.C.’s public pools. I haven’t submerged my body in any of them, but friends give high marks to the Francis Pool on 25th and N Streets, NW. [tip: DCist]

* Sunday

noon-2 p.m. Assuming you’re not in Myrtle Beach for my favorite of such rallies, put on your leather and head down to either Constitution or Independence Avenues between noon and 1 p.m. to watch Rolling Thunder bikers circle the Mall. Each year, over 400,000 bikers descend upon D.C. for a rally to call for the government’s recognition of POW’s and MIA’s. The musical tribute and speaker program takes place at 1 p.m. on a stage near the reflecting pool. [tip: About.com]

* Monday

9 a.m.-noon. Pay your respects at Arlington National Cemetery. P and I did this last year, catching a glimpse of Bush’s motorcade as he exited the cemetery. Aim for an early arrival time, and you may just see our new Presi. Spend a few hours walking the grounds—it’ll be one of the more poignant things you do this year.