Thursday, April 30, 2009

@ the American Museum of Natural History...

Self Comes to Mind

Sunday, May 3
7 pm
LeFrak Theater, first floor

Yo-Yo Ma performs the world premiere of Self Comes to Mind, a musical composition by Bruce Adolphe, composer in residence at the Brain and Creativity Institute and resident lecturer of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, based on an evocative exploration of the evolution of human consciousness written especially for this collaboration by neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, Director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at University of Southern California, and author of Descartes’ Error, The Feeling of What Happens, and Looking for Spinoza. The performance includes brain images by Hanna Damasio as part of sound-reactive video compositions directed by Diego Miralles in collaboration with Meemle and based on a video by Ioana Uricaru. The premiere is followed by a conversation with Antonio Damasio, Yo-Yo Ma, and Bruce Adolphe on mind, consciousness, creativity, and the collaboration behind Self Comes to Mind. The discussion will be moderated by Jonah Lehrer, Editor at Large, Seed Magazine and author of Proust Was a Neuroscientist.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Film: Man on Wire

Man on Wire was such a powerful example of documentary filmmaking that I actually took notes. Really! Aside from the priceless 70's footage, Phillippe Petit's dynamic narration of his high-wire adventure puts your nerves on edge throughout the entire film. He's pretty much just as crazy as he was back then, but his passion is infectious - a relative of mine who was just a kid in the 70's informed me that after Petit performed his stunt, the Twin Towers were transformed from a downtown eyesore to the iconic and aesthetic symbols of New York City that we all remember.   

Obama's 100th Day in Office!
















Makes me glad that I'm a vegan...
























Because I come here all the time...


Tangled Alphabets: León Ferrari and Mira Schendel

April 5, 2009–June 15, 2009

The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor



If you have a free half hour and feel like relaxing, you should definitely stop by the MoMA and check out Tangled Alphabets. The artists are Latin American  - a sorely underrepresented artist minority in New York City museums - and this exhibit is AMAZING! The merge between language and images that both of these artists accomplish is truly stunning - and mind bending... 





Things I'm Really Excited About Today....








The festival ends May 3. Here are some films recommended to me that I now must see because the trailers were irresistible:



Also, last night I saw Antoine, a documentary about a precious blind French-Canadian boy who solves mysteries and collects sounds. However, if you're expecting a conventional/talking heads/narration type of film, this is anything but. Antoine is a super experimental, raw film and not once does a voiceover or narrator try to explain anything you're seeing onscreen. At times frustrating to sit through because of it's vagueness of intention, Antoine is an example of the artistic direction that documentary film is now taking.