October 12, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 10/12

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Our picks for free and cheap things to do this weekend (10/12 to 10/14) in NYC. Cultural events in art, architecture, music, dance, theater, design, food and fun.

1. Music – It’s a little soon to think about the holidays but if you want to get tickets for Sufjan Stevens concert SurfJohn Stevens Christmas Sing-a-Long on 12/21 and 12/22 tickets were scheduled to go on sale Fri 10/12 at 12pm for $20 here. (Not sure this is still the case, but worth checking.)

2. Art/Photography – Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop at the Metropolitan Museum. All weekend and through 1/27. Pay-what-you-wish.

3. Art – Alexandra Spaulding’s percOlating sculptures downstairs and Jenna Mazza’s wonderful paintings of books upstairs at Stephan Stoyanov Gallery on Orchard St. All weekend. Noon to 6pm. FREE

Also in Art – Brian Tolle’s (previously here) timely exhibit Commander in Chief at CRB Gallery in Chelsea. Fri 10/12 and Sat 10/13 through 11/10. FREE

4. Film – Debut screening of “Sheer,” directed by Ruben Mazzoleni at reBar in Dumbo. Fri 10/12, 6:45 or 9:30. $9. Tkts here.

5. Talk/Film – Meet the filmmaker of “Hyde Park on Hudson” Fri 10/12 at the Apple Store Soho. 6pm FREE

Also at the Apple Store: Coheed and Cambria. Sat 10/14 at 7pm. FREE

6. Talk/Science/Performance –Splendors and Miseries of (Un)conscious thoughts: A story of psychology, neuroscience and live performance. French neuroscientist Lionel Naccache at New York Live Arts. Fri 10/12 at 7:30pm. FREE with RSVP.

7. Music – Doveman at Le Poisson Rouge. Fri 10/12 at 7pm. $15.

8. Theater/Performance – Brooklyn Bred: Performance Art with Jennifer Miller at BAM. Fri 10/12 at 7:30pm. $20.

9. Music/Fun –Losers Lounge tribute to Dusty Springfield at Joe’s Pub. Fri 10/12 and Sat 10/13. $25

10. Art – Gowanus Open Studios at Brooklyn Art Space. Sat 10/13 and Sun 10/14. 12 to 6pm. FREE

Also in Gowanus: Warehouse of Horrors Gowanus explores the seedy underbelly of 1970’s Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Lyceum, Fri 10/12 and Sat 10/13, $20 tickets include three curated cocktails per person.

11. Art/Music/Light – Whispers at The Autumn Bowl: artists working in experimental, dance, pop, new music, and sound art with visual artists illuminating new connections and presenting vibrant explorations of sound in an intimate setting. Fri 10/12 and Sat 10/13 at 8pm. Greenpoint. $10 tickets.

12. Theater/Music/Fun/Food – Public Theater Block Party, Sat 10/13, noon to 5pm. FREE

13. Food/Talk – Chefs Mario Batali, Tom Colicchio, and Magnus Nilsson talk about the Future of Restaurants at the Bumble & Bumble Theater. Sat 10/12, 11am to 12pm. $20.

14. Art/Interactive – Stillspotting/Improv Everywhere event Audiogram. An Mp3 Audio Adventure in the Bronx. Sat 10/13 and Sun 10/14. Multiple times. Check-in at Bronx Museum of the Arts $12.

15. Fun – Fluff’s Annual NYC Big Wheel Race in Central park. Sat 10/13 from 3-5pm, FREE

16. Music/Art/Fashion – BowieBall pays homage to the definitive rock icon: David Bowie, in an anything-goes charity extravaganza bringing together the best in music, art, fashion, and entertainment. Sat 10/13 at 10:30pm. $20 in advance. $25 at door with RSVP or costume.

17. Walking Tour/Architecture – Downtown Brooklyn’s New Livability Tour. Sun 10/14 at 11am. $20

18. Music – Sunday Night Live Music Series in the lobby of the Ace Hotel. Sun 10/14 at 10pm. FREE

Also, in Architecture: Landscape Architecture Design Speed Dating (aka Portfolio Reviews) & Open House Brunch at the Van Alen Institute. Sat 10/13, 12 to 2pm. FREE with RSVP.

UPDATES:
Music – 50th Birthday Celebration of the American Symphony Orchestra. Tickets on sale now for Friday 10/26 concert at 1962 prices of $1.50 to $7.00.

Film/Music/Food – Minor/Major: A TV on the Radio Tour Documentary, Sat 10/13 at 7pm at 3rdWard’s Moviehouse. Empanadas included. $5 suggestion. RSVP.

Film – Red Hook International Film & Video Festival, Sat 10/13 & Sun 10/14, 1 to 6pm. Schedule here. FREE

Art/Street Art – Inaugural street art auction preview/exhibit at Doyle New York (175 E. 87th St.) Sun 10/14, noon to 5pm, (even if you don’t go, check out the work online.) FREE

Food/Culture – Japan Block Fair on the UWS. Food vendors, Japanese merchants and a Ramen contest. Sun 10/14, 11am to 6pm. FREE

Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for ongoing suggestions. Enjoy the weekend.

October 11, 2012 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

The Public Theater & Shakespeare Machine

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I signed up to see Ben Rubin present his Shakespeare Machine (previously here) at the newly renovated Public Theater last night and was surprised by a number of things: the beautiful lobby; the impressive and perfectly displayed multimedia sculpture in the center; the spectacular collage of Paula Scher-designed Public Theater posters on the wall behind the ticket booths (I’ve been wanting to do something like this at home forever); all this with an amazing party including a open bar and tasty food, to boot!

The Public has created what they describe as a “welcoming piazza” with extended steps out front that lure you in to the new lobby. The bar at the entrance is very striking with the chandelier-like Shakespeare Machine above it. And, in Pentragram partner Paula Scher’s signature style, it’s a typography lover’s delight. The bar, the information booth, the archways, the staff t-shirts all play with the Public’s chunky variants on the Akzidenz Grotesk typeface. Talking with someone at the party, I learned that the sunken type on the arches was particularly challenging. The asymmetric positioning of the signage type adds to the uplifting quality of it all.

Oh, and we can’t forget the Shakespeare Machine, which was the main reason for my visit. A couple of technical glitches in the beginning were quickly ironed out and the sculpture played with the Shakespeare text as humorously and cleverly as the space that surrounds it. Close to a million words are shuffled by statistician Mark Hansen’s algorithms that choreograph the text into situations such as a series of “To be or’s” that are followed by unexpected, alternative, and smile-inducing, Shakespearean text rather than the expected “not to be” which also makes an appearance later. The cycle runs roughly 5 to 10 minutes with variations in visual effects, from inverted type to such high-speed text that it becomes abstract. The Shakespeare Machine will be on full-time during the theater’s hours of operation.

Kudos to all involved in the revitalization: Ennead Architects, Paula Scher and her team at Pentagram, Ben Rubin and Mark Hansen, as well as many, many more, I’m sure.

You can see a snippet of the sculpture in action below. The voices are not part of the sculpture, but, rather, actors for the event:

October 8, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Geraldo Zamproni: Pillow Talk

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Contemporary Brazilian artist Geraldo Zamproni graduated with a degree in Architecture/Urbanism and seems to be playing with both in his art. His large red inflatable pillows are perfect examples. These fun cushions have been squeezed under museum ramps and concrete slabs just to name a couple of examples. This week at least one of the pillows can be found “at large” on 14th Street in NYC as part of the Art in Odd Places event. I looked for the pillow on Saturday while roaming 14th St. trying to find the not-very-clearly-mapped-out works in the festival, but it seems to have been sitting all the way east between Avenues B and C as per the top photograph that I found.

Zamproni’s pillow installations (which have a similar fun surprise quality —as well as color — to the Red Ball Project) have appeared in museums throughout Brazil, from Brasilia to Curitiba, in Peru, Argentina, and Spain. I’m going to keep my eyes peeled (I’ve always found that expression a little disturbing) this week to see if the AiOP catalogue’s “at large” location description will include points on 14th Street closer to Union Square.

You can see Zamproni inflating one of his pillows in the video below. Interesting to see how he even enters it to smooth out the seams:

Top photo: Michele McVicar/EVG; bottom photo Eric Stoner; all others courtesy the artist.

October 5, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 10/5

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20+ free and cheap things to do this weekend (10/5 to 10/7) in NYC. Cultural events in art, music, dance, theater, food and general fun.

1. Art/Performance – Art in Odd Places: artists’ work & performances take over unexpected public spaces all along 14th Street. All weekend and through 10/15. Opening reception Fri 10/5, 5 to 8pm. See schedule. FREE

2. Film – Bushwick Film Festival at Paperbox. All weekend. $10/day; $25 for full 3-dayPass

3. Art – Affordable Art Fair at the Tunnel in Chelsea. All weekend. $12

4. Design/Typography – Get Out the Vote Poster Project exhibit (see post) at AIGA, 154 5th Ave. Fri 10/5, 11am to 5pm, through 11/30. FREE

5. Dance/Theater – Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero: Turbulence: an experimental hybrid of contemporary dance, improvised happening and political theater at NY Live Arts. Fri 10/5 & Sat 10/6 at 7:30pm. $15 and $20.

6. Art/Massage –The Massage Performances with Sergei Tcherepnin, premieres a new six-channel composition to be played through your body. Fri 10/5 at 6:30pm. The Issue Project Room, Brooklyn. FREE ($10 suggested donation)

Alternatively: Past Futures, Present Futures Exhibit opening at Storefront for Art & Architecture. 7 to 9pm. FREE.

7. Film – Haika Mutil & Miel de Naranjas by Imanol Uribe, Fri 10/5 at Instituto Cervantes 6pm to 8pm. FREE

8. Theater/Performance – Prelude NYC Theater & Performance. Multiple events at various venues. Fri 10/5. See schedule. FREE (first come first served)

9. Dance/Music –Rob List: Play By Ear features anti-conceptual movement, dance, and song. Fri 10/5 & Sat 10/6. 8pm at The Chocolate Factory, Long Island City. $15

10. Art/Music/Food – The Feast Pavilion: a modern day World’s Fair features immersive art installations, food trucks, music, and community booths that honor the work of today’s most remarkable innovators. Sat 10/6, 12 to 6pm. Followed by Dance Party 8pm to 1am. FREE

11. Music/Art – The Autumn Bowl: live music by various musicians paired with live visuals in a stunning, immersive environment. Sat 10/6 at 8pm. Greenpoint. $12 tickets.

12. Architecture/Tours –OHNY (Open House New York), Sat 10/6 & Sun 10/7. Various locations and times. Check site for details. FREE

13. Music – Restoration Rocks! Music Festival. A day-long music concert of some of the most dynamic emerging and established artists performing on the Brooklyn stage. Sat 10/6, 12 to 5pm. Fulton Street, Bed Stuy. FREE

14. Art/Talk/Reception – BEYONSENSE: An Evening with Dr. John Perry, Hosted by Slavs and Tatars at MoMA. Sat 10/6, 8 to 11pm. Admission includes conversation, exhibition viewing, and cocktail reception. Plus a limited-edition print. $14 in advance; $18 at door.

Alternatively: Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturdays. Sat 10/6 from 5 to 11pm. Various performances, music, talks. See site. FREE

15. Music – The Lisps: FUTURITY Album Release. Sat 10/6, 8:30 pm 92Y Tribeca Mainstage at 200 Hudson Street. $15.00 tickets

16. Performance/General Craziness – Electrified with David Blaine at Hudson River Park, Pier 54 (near 14th St). All weekend. FREE

17. Theater – Disgraced: a new play by Ayad Akhtar, directed by Kimberly Senior. Previews begin Sun 10/7 at 7pm. Claire Tow Theater. $20.

18. Stories/Performance – The Moth GrandSLAM Championship at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Sun 10/7. Doors 6:30; Show 7:30. $20.

UPDATES: Film – The New York Film Festival has Discounted Rush Tickets available for some of their screenings announced daily on their website and go on sale 1 hour before showtime. All weekend and through 10/14.

Art – First Fridays at the Noguchi Museum in LIC. Fri 10/5, 10am to 5pm. Pay-what-you-wish.

Music: The Vespers and The Deadly Gentlemen play in Madison Sq. Park, Sat 10/6, 3 to 5pm. FREE

Art: BYOB: Bring Your Own Beamer at Knockdown Center in Queens. Sat 10/6 at 8pm. Artists bring their projectors and project their art, initially an idea by Rafaël Rozendaal (see our post). FREE

Film – My Brooklyn with Kelly Anderson at UnionDocs in Williamsburg. Sun 10/7, 7:30pm. Thoughtful documentary on the issues of neighborhood gentrification. $9 suggested donation.

Film – Goodfellas at Habana Outpost‘s movie night in Brooklyn. Sun 10/7 at 8pm. FREE

Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for some ongoing suggestions. Happy Fall weekend.

October 4, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

EARonics on Sale!

EARonics on Sale?? Yes, it’s true! We’re having the OMG-the-iPhone5-is-Out-and-We-Still-Have-iPhone4-Cases-Plus-We’re-Moving SALE! All cases are now $15 and there’s still free domestic shipping and $5 international. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for! Tell your friends! Tell your family! Heck, tell your enemies!

Buy them here.

(And, yes, we are well aware that the Sotheby’s art handler above has a freakishly large hand coming out of his collarbone…but, hey, he’s got an EARonic!)

October 4, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Li Songsong: Tunnel Installation

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Beijing-born and based artist Li Songsong is probably best known for his thickly applied contemporary oil paintings; some on canvas and others on aluminum panels. In his latest work, a tunnel-like installation at Pace Beijing, he inverts his usual style, leaving the aluminum as the exposed exterior, while the interior is made up of 91 sections of very thickly applied oil paint on differing shapes and textures in varying colors. The effect would seem to be a cross between entering a stripped away space shuttle and a 3-dimensional abstract painting. Cool.

Photos courtesy of Pace Beijing. Second photo Blake Gopnik for The Daily Beast.

October 3, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Jean-François Fourtou: Tombée du Ciel

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French artist Jean-François Fourtou has always wanted to be an architect. Through a series of experiments in his studio in Madrid, Fourtou played with dimension and proportion, mostly distorting them, and applying these experiments to a decade-long project of installations on his property in Morocco. Tombée du Ciel (Fallen from the Sky), the upside down house inspired by his grandparents’ home in France, reproduced to scale and plopped on its roof with its entrance via window, is one of these works. Reminiscent of scenes from books such as Alice in Wonderland or Gulliver’s Travels, the experience of walking on the ceilings (or, if you’re Lionel Richie, perhaps dancing) must evoke both a disorienting and funny feeling. Can’t help thinking of Stray Light Grey a little bit.

Currently, Fourtou is exhibiting a version of his Tombée du Ciel as part of the Festival Lille3000 Fantastic 2012 in Belgium.

Photos courtesy of the artist; aeroplastics gallery; and AFP

via voanews

October 3, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

AIGA: Get Out the Vote Project

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AIGA’s (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Get Out the Vote project invites designers to create nonpartisan posters and videos that inspire the American public to participate in the electoral process and vote in the 2012 general election.

AIGA is hosting an exhibition in New York City from October 3–November 30, 2012 featuring the 2012 Get Out the Vote project, at the AIGA National Design Center. But have no fear, if you can’t make the show you can see the complete virtual gallery here.

October 2, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Bus-Tops in London

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This is such a great public art project. From January 2012 up until just yesterday, a set of 30 red and black LED screens were installed on the roofs of bus shelters throughout the many boroughs of London. The project, sponsored by the Arts Council of England and the Olympics, was titled Bus-Tops and projected images up to those traveling on the upper level of London’s double-decker buses. If that concept alone isn’t nice enough, the added interactive aspect allowing anyone, of any age, to draw and submit their own artwork on the Bus-Tops site, with a chance for it to be projected on one of the many screens, is just genius. Taking a look at all the works (and there are hundreds of them ranging from typographic to illustrative, abstract to realist) showcased on the project’s website, some of the kid submissions are equally charming to those of their more sophisticated and slicker counterparts.

It’s a shame these couldn’t continue indefinitely. It would be great to see similar ideas executed in other cities as well.

Here is a video that explains the project in detail and shows some of the animated works.

via demagazine

September 28, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/28

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Ay yay yay! So many free and cheap things to do in NYC this weekend and so little time. Here are over a dozen free and/or affordable cultural events in art, music, dance, theater, food and general fun for the weekend of 9/28/2012 to 9/30/2012.

1. Art/Design/Classes – From Photoshop and Dreamweaver to Economics. Trade School a self-organized learning space that runs on barter. Opens Friday 9/28 through 10/28. FREE (with barter items or services) Sign up here.

2. Art – Dev Harlan Untitled (Wave) at Christopher Henry Gallery All weekend. 11am to 6pm. 127 Elizabeth St. FREE

3. Theater/Installation – Habit (see post) directed by David Levine. All weekend, continuously loops from 1 to 9pm, FREE.

4. Design/Typography – Concrete Poetry to Feed My Mind, post-World War II experiments in literature that looked beyond the simple signification of words and meanings to a new mode of visual and linguistic communication. At NYU Open House Gallery, 528 LaGuardia Pl., All weekend, 1pm to 4pm. FREE

5. Art/Design/Books – NY Art Book Fair, at PS1. World’s premier event for international artists’ books, catalogs, monographs, periodicals, and zines. All weekend, see website for hours and listing of events. FREE

6. Theater – Gilbert & Sullivan Players I’ve Got a Little Twist at Calhoun Theater, Friday 9/28, 7pm. $10 adults; $5 students & seniors.

7. Art – Saga Sites exhibit, Landscapes of the Icelandic Sagas. Saturday 9/29 and Sunday, 9/30 at Scandinavia Housethrough 1/12/2013. FREE

8. Art/Fun/Food/Music – Dumbo Arts Festival, All weekend starting Friday 9/28 night with Immersive Surfaces projection mapping show from 6pm to 9pm, continuing with vast number of events All weekend. Check site for event listings. FREE

9. Film – 5th Russian Documentary Film Festival, at Tribeca Cinemas. All weekend. Check site for schedule. $14.

10. Art/Performance – SkowheganPERFORMS at Socrates Sculpture Park, Saturday, 9/29, 1:30–5:00pm. FREE

11. Food/Fun – 10th Annual Oyster Frenzy at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal. Includes Oyster-eating contest and Oyster-shucking contest. A variety of oysters, shooters and more. Saturday 9/29, 12 to 6pm. FREE entry. (Oysters are a la carte.)

12. Conference/Speakers/Art/Music – RUCKUS NYC is a one-day conference and concert on art and the web. Saturday 9/29 at Cooper Union, 10am to 6pm, (Registration starts at 9:30). $65 (Hey, that’s cheap for a conference.) $25 for just evening concert.

13. Food/Fun/Fair – Chile Pepper Fiesta, at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Saturday 9/29, 11am to 6pm. 20th anniversary with a full roster of sizzling music and dance from spice-loving regions around the world. Sample dozens of award-winning hot sauces, spicy pickles, salsas and chile-chocolates. $15 adults; $10 Students over 12 and Seniors.

14. Food/Music/Fun – The Atlantic Antic Street Festival, Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. Sunday 9/30, 12 to 6pm. FREE

Alternatively: DayLife Festival, Sunday 9/30. Orchard Street in full effect as a 3-block special event with food, fashion, a full line-up of top-tier DJs, and games such as Twister, badminton and urban croquet. FREE

15. Film – Two awe-inspiring, informative, and entertaining documentaries, What’s For Dinner? and Vegucated, Saturday 9/29, 1-4pm at Anthology Film Archives. Part of Climate Week NYC. FREE with eticket.

16. Art/Classes – Figure Drawing classes at Brooklyn Art Space. Saturdays & Sundays, 3-hour sessions open to all. $12. See site for times.

17. Music – Global Festival Central Park Great Lawn w/ Neil Young, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, K’Naan, Saturday 9/29 at 5pm. All ages. FREE, register.

18. Music – Get tickets for Of Monsters and Men at Terminal 5, November 21, 2012. $25. (Oops! Sorry, sold out)

UPDATES:

Art – Museum Day! Saturday 9/29, Free entry to a list of Smithsonian-affiliated museums (see map): includes Morgan Library, Museo del Barrio, Museum of Folk Art, The Asia Society, Studio Museum in Harlem and many, many more nationwide. Sign up for a pass for two. FREE.

Art – Lucas Samaras: XYZ opens at Pace (W. 25th St) Friday 9/28 and Saturday 9/29 through 10/27. FREE

Fun/Music/Performance – Bushwig! Festival of Drag at Special Project Robot in Bushwick. Saturday 9/29, 3 to 11pm. FREE.

Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for some ongoing suggestions. Enjoy.

September 26, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Habit: David Levine

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Not usually much of a theater-goer, this week has been the exception, especially when it comes to experimental theater. Today I stopped by Habit directed by David Levine; part avant garde theater, part installation, Habit is described as “The Real World meets No Exit.” A two-bedroom, one-bath apartment set, with sheetrock walls and windows, what seems like actual plumbing, and a kitchen, has been built in the middle of the Essex Street Market’s Building B. For a full 8 hours every day, three actors perform the looped play, strictly observing the script, but without stage directions. They are confined to the set, but can wander around as they please. Apparently, each loop presents a different iteration of the play. The audience watches from around the perimeter of the set, through the numerous windows. There’s not a lot of action (at least the 45 minutes or so that I was there) but I did witness tension and come-ons between the three, as well as a fair amount of snacking and tea-drinking, and a wardrobe change or two by Viv in her bedroom. It feels very voyeuristic to watch the play through the windows, more so than if you were watching the same action take place from a seat in an audience. It’s pretty interesting. I’d be curious to go back and experience a different time of day, much in the way that Christian Marclay’s The Clock was interesting to experience at different times of the day/night, though I’ve always been more of a film person, so that may have had more of an allure for me.

Habit is presented by PS122 & FIAF’s Crossing the Line Festival, through Sunday, September 30th, from 1 to 9pm daily at the Essex Street Market, Building B, Essex St. between Rivington and Stanton. And it’s free!

September 21, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/21

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This weekend’s picks for free and cheap things to do in New York. Affordable cultural events in art, music, dance, theater, food and general fun for the weekend of 9/21/2012 to 9/23/2012.

1. Art/Architecture- Tatzu Nishi’s very fun installation: Discovering Columbus (see post), an elevated living room surrounding the statue in Columbus Circle. All weekend and through 11/18. FREE with reserved timed pass.

2. Art–Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years at the Met. All weekend and through 12/31. Pay what you will or suggested admission.

3. Film – The Coney Island Film Festival, All weekend. Screenings and parties range from $7 to $12.

4. Art/Design – Process 01:Joy, at the new P! Gallery in Chinatown, 334 Broome St. Friday 9/21 and Saturday 9/22, FREE. Also related: Saturday, 9/22 from 3 to 5pm the artists Carrion-Murayari, Conaty, and Martens in Conversation at Projects Projects (161 Bowery 2nd Floor) FREE with RSVP

5. Theater – Shuffle performed by the Elevator Repair Service in the stacks of the Brooklyn Public Library. Friday 9/21 and Saturday 9/22, 7 to 9pm. Use code BROK for 20% off tickets.

6. TV/Film/Book– Actress Penny Marshall chats and signs her new memoir at the Strand, Friday 9/21, 7 to 8pm. Purchase of book or $10 Strand Gift Card required.

7. Film – Williamsburg International Film Festival, All weekend, different locations. Check schedule. $5 to $10.

8. Food – Le Grand Fooding Brooklyn, Saturday 9/22 and Sunday 9/23, Brunch in Williamsburg $20, Lunch in Ft. Greene $15. Get tickets and details.

9. Music/Performance/Art/Food – Fourth Arts Block (FAB), will take over East 4th Street for its annual arts extravaganza. An afternoon of free performances by local artists, with multiple indoor and outdoor stages showcasing dance, theater, & music, local artisans and gourmet food vendors, art installations, Saturday 9/22, 1 to 5pm FREE

10. Music – Heritage Blues Trio at 3pm followed by Rory Block singing the blues at 4pm. Saturday 9/22 in Madison Square Park. FREE

11. Film/Documentary – Detropia at IFC. A lyrical and exquisitely shot meditation on abandonment, decay and unexpected renewal of Detroit. All weekend. Co-director Rachel Grady will be at the 6:10 show Saturday 9/22 for a Q&A. $13.50

12. Books –Brooklyn Book Festival at Borough Hall, Sunday 9/23, 10am to 6pm. FREE

13. Music– Rupa & The April Fishes at Le Poisson Rouge, Sunday 9/23 . Doors 10pm. $15

14. Theater – The Exonerated with Stockard Channing & Brian Dennehy at Culture Project. 1/2 off Sundays. Sunday 9/23 . Tickets from $15.

Also in Theater – Get $15 tickets now to Sorry by Richard Nelson at the Public Theater 10/30 to 11/18 before they sell out.

15. Food – Get 1/2 price tickets now for next Sunday’s (9/30) Pickle Palooza above Bowlmore on University Place. $15.

UPDATES:

Performance/Food – 10th Autumn Moon Festival, Sunday 9/23, 11am to 5pm. FREE

TV/Fun – Emmy Screening Party, at Brooklyn Winery, Sunday 9/23, 7 to 11pm. FREE 21+

Art/Music/Party – Animamus Art Salon Tube Party at Low Brow Artique, Sunday 9/23 at 7pm. $10

Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for additional suggestions. Happy weekend!

September 20, 2012 by collabcubed - 4 Comments

Discovering Columbus: Follow Up

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This is it! The day New York art lovers have been waiting for. Tatzu Nishi’s Discovering Columbus (previously here for background) opens to the public and I’ve got my free pass to stop over later, however, I couldn’t resist the sneak peek from the VIP listers. The large elevated living room is just as described: built around the famous Columbus Circle statue, that stands tall on the coffee table in the center of the room. The wallpaper print is made up of iconic ~~New York City~~ American images ranging from the Empire State Building to a mustard-slathered hot dog, Elvis and Mickey Mouse. There’s even a TV. Totally nutty and fun. I, for one, am really looking forward to this.

Discovering Columbus will be up through November 18, 2012. Visit the Public Art Fund’s website to reserve your timed free pass.

Photos: AP/wsbtv; Sam Horine/gothamist; vidiot’s flickr; and nymayorsoffice’s flickr.

September 18, 2012 by collabcubed - 5 Comments

Caitlind Brown: Cloud

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How fun is this? I love it! Calgary-based artist and filmmaker Caitlind Brown created this wonderful large-scale light installation/sculpture titled Cloud, exhibited a few nights ago at this year’s Nuit Blanche in Calgary. Made with more than 5,000 reappropriated domestic light bulbs (only one in every six bulbs actually needs to glow), in addition to compact fluorescent bulbs and chain pull strings, Cloud invites viewers to wander through a rain of pull strings switching lights on and off. When audiences activate the Cloud‘s inner sphere of light bulbs it creates the illusion of lightning on the cloud’s surface. Too clever!

Photos courtesy of James Tworow, Lori.Jane, and Posilucky’s flickrs.

via inspired

September 14, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/14

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This weekend’s picks for free and cheap things to do in New York. Affordable cultural events in art, music, dance, theater, food and general fun.

1. Art/Photography/Talks- Momenta Art presents Occupy Your BFF.Occupy Museums (Occupy Wall Street) will use the gallery’s resources to activate critical dialogue about the relationship between art and the market. Opening Reception, Friday 9/14, 6pm to 9pm. Exhibit runs through 10/28. FREE

2. Art– Randy Polumbo: Love Stream at Steven Kasher Gallery. Fun light sculpture exhibit partly in an Airstream trailer. Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15. Through September 29th. FREE

Also in Art: Johan Freeman and Justin Lowe’s Stray Light Grey multi-room installation at Marlborough Gallery. (See post) Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15. Through October 27th. FREE

3. Art/Performance – Steven & William Ladd: Shaboygen at The Invisible Dog Art Center, Brooklyn. Opening Reception, Saturday 9/15, 6pm to 10pm. Performances 7 & 9pm. Through November 3rd. FREE

4. Film – Solar Powered Film Series, at Stuyvesant Cove Park. Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15, 7pm to 10:30pm. FREE

5. Music – FIAF Opening Concert with Bill Frisell, guitarist at FIAF Florence Gould Hall Friday 9/14, 8pm. Advanced $30. At door $35.

6. Fashion/Performance– Williamsburg Fashion Weekend at Windmill Studios, Williamsburg. Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15 Doors: 8pm, Show: 9pm. $15 in advance. $20 at door.

7. Art Installation/Party – House Party: Andrew Ohanesian at The Boiler. Faithfully creating a spatially accurate, quintessentially American suburban home, which he displaces from its native suburban landscape by reconstructing it within the walls of the Boiler, a repurposed urban-industrial space currently functioning as a contemporary art gallery. Opening reception (House Party) Friday 9/14 7pm to 10pm. The Boiler, 191 N. 14th St. Brooklyn. Exhibit up through 11/18. FREE

8. Music/Light Show – The Joshua Light Show. live, colorful, psychedelic projections behind various musicians and bands including John Zorn and Lou Reed, at NYU Skirball Center. All weekend. Check listing for showtimes and bands. Tickets start at $20.

9. Architecture Walking Tour – Lost Streams of NYC, with photographer/historian Steve Duncan (see post). 2- to 3-hour tour (above ground). Saturday 9/15, 2pm to 5pm. $25

10. Architecture Talk – Andrew Moore: Images of Governors Island The renowned photographer gives an illustrated talk on the abandoned buildings of Governors Island. Saturday 9/15. 2pm to 3pm. FREE (the event is sold out, but it has been our experience with other talks, that not everyone who signs up, shows up.)

11. Architecture – Imagining the Lowline at the Essex Street Warehouse. A first glimpse at what the park might look like (see post). Starting Saturday 9/15 and Sunday 9/16 12pm to 6pm. Through September 27th. FREE

12. Music –Jim Lauderdale & The Honeycutters at Madison Square Park. Saturday 9/15, 3-5pm. FREE

13. Contest/Food– Chef One Dumpling Eating Contest, at Williamsburg Smorgasburg. Saturday 9/15 at 1 to 4pm. FREE

14. Food – Pig Roast at The Farm on Adderley in Prospect Park South, Brooklyn. Saturday 9/15 . 2pm to 8pm. $25/plate (including sides).

15. Dance – DanceNow at Joe’s Pub. Featuring the Top Ten Works from the 2012 DANCENOW Festival. Saturday 9/15, 7pm. $15 in advance; $20 at the door.

**UPDATES: Film – LCD Soundsystem’s Shut Up and Play the Hits at The Well, Brooklyn. Saturday 9/15, 7-11pm, 18+ to enter. FREE

Food – Unsold Supper in Union Square. Farmers contribute unsold produce that gets cooked and shared in exchange for creating a gift for the farmers. Barter of craft for food. Saturday 9/15, 4 to 6pm. FREE

Fun – NerdNYC’s RECESS a day full of tabletop games, from cards to Trivia and more at 440 Lafayette St. 18+ with ID. Saturday 9/15, 11am to 10:30pm. $20.

Check back for possible updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for additional ideas. Enjoy!

September 13, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Stray Light Grey: Freeman & Lowe

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Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe have collaborated on a few all-immersive abandoned room installations in the past years. The last show they had in NYC was in 2009 at Deitch Projects titled Black Acid Co-op which featured an exploded crystal meth lab among other things. Today, their latest exhibit opens at the Marlborough Gallery in Chelsea. Stray Light Grey, as the new show is called, conjures up the old OTB (Off Track Betting) facilities of the city’s past in its multi-roomed installation. They have converted the Chelsea gallery into what the neighborhood and its occupants were probably like back in the 90s—such as an OTB gambling parlor—shaping it into their own world. Upon first entering the gallery, visitors experience a smaller version of the usual gallery, but as they proceed other, stranger, rooms are revealed, some through holes in walls. The farther in one goes, apparently, the weirder things get. From a storage room to bathroom under construction and ripped out walls, continuing on to other rooms including the OTB-styled parlor and a plastic-surgery center. Artifacts, artworks and videos are dispersed throughout alluding to what is yet to come. And yet, one can never really be sure what to expect.

Stray Light Grey opens today and runs through October 27th, at the Marlborough Gallery.

via NY Magazine and Bomb

September 11, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Julian Hoeber: Demon Hill & DH#2

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My friend Eric and I strolled over to Chelsea on Saturday between tornado warnings. We stopped by numerous recently-opened exhibits, but the most memorable show perhaps, at least for me, was Julian Hoeber at Harris Lieberman Gallery. Actually, more specifically, it was the centerpiece of the exhibit, DH#2, that was most memorable. This tilted wooden box held together with metal studs, beckons to you through its door. Inside is a steeply inclined room that is amazingly difficult to stand in and makes your head (and stomach) do somersaults…even just looking at these photos again is bringing back that queasy feeling. But it’s definitely fun and incredibly surprising. Makes for some laughs (and a little nausea.) DH#2 is, apparently, a variation on the Los Angeles artist’s previous work Demon Hill (the latter pictured in the top and bottom photos.)

These free-standing structures are based on the architecture of “gravitational mystery spots” that are often found in fun houses. Mystery spots claim to be sites of supernatural power to explain the severe effect of disorientation and vertigo that the visitor experiences, when in reality it’s the result of an architectural trick. Hoeber’s installations reveal the device behind the trickery, while retaining the same effect.

Here’s a video of the original Demon Hill:

Julian Hoeber’s exhibit will be up at Harris Lieberman Gallery through October 6th, 2012.

Photos: Art in America; soggydan; fiac; and the rest Eric and myself.

September 7, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/7

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This weekend’s picks for free and cheap things to do in New York. From art exhibits, to music, dance, theater, food festivals and more, free or affordable September 7, 8, and 9, 2012.)

1. Theater- 20at20 Beginning Tuesday, September 4th, and running through Sunday, September 23rd, tickets for all 20at20 shows are only $20, 20 minutes before the Off-Broadway shows. Check listing. All weekend

2. Spectator Sport/Food/Art– US Open Live 2012 at Madison Square Park. Sit back, lounge, and watch biggest names in tennis on the big-screen, live as it happens. Food & Beverages will be available and this is the last weekend to check out Charles Long’s drippy Pet Sound sculptures. All weekend. FREE

3. Art – Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s exhibit Voice Array at Bitforms Gallery, 529 W. 20th. Friday 9/7 and Saturday 9/8. FREE

4. Art/Experience/Tour – Chance Procedures in Motion, with Maria Chavez. Friday 9/7, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Maria Chavez invites participants to join her in navigating the city by chasing subways in available directions. $20.

5. Dance – Eclipse Dance by Jonah Bokaer x Anthony McCall at the new Fischer BAM. All weekend (check for times & tickets). Friday 9/7 performance has a Pre-show talk with choreographer and artist. $20.

6. Music– Rafiq Bhatia, PEPEPIANO, & icewater at Cameo Gallery, 93 North 6th Street, Williamsburg. Ages 21+ Friday 9/7, 8pm. $8.

7. Animation/Film – Saturday Morning Cartoons with Augenblick Studios. WEIRDO CARTOONS from the past 100 years. At Bellweather, 594 Union Ave., Williamsburg. Saturday 9/8. Noon to 2pm. $10 includes homemade cereal, milk and mimosa or modelo.

8. Performance Art – Flux Factory’s Public Trust. Series of art and performance art events. Two events on Saturday 9/8, Physical Audit and Le Grand Slam Guignol. Check listing for details. FREE

9. Art/Design – Stephen Powers Murals: A Word is Worth A Thousand Pictures. Joshua Liner Gallery, 548 W. 28th St., Friday 9/7 and Saturday 9/8, 11am to 6pm. Through 9/29. FREE

10. Art/Music/Food – ArtOnBrighton at the NY Aquarium in Coney Island/Brighton Beach. Art installations, Music, and Eats celebrating the creative post-Soviet Immigrants of Brighton Beach and beyond. Saturday 9/8, Doors at 7pm. $10 advance, $15 at the door.

11. Art – Chris Ware exhibit: Building Stories at Adam Baumgold Gallery Saturday 9/8. FREE (through October 27th)

12. Art/Music/Food –SculptureCenter’s LIC Block Party. Artist Market, Food Court, Stage with Live Music. Jackson Ave & 43rd Ave, LIC. Saturday 9/8, 12-5pm. FREE

13. StreetArt/Art/Salon Party– Pearly’s Beauty Shop Pop-Up, Exhibition Space, 25-25 44th Drive LIC. The artist Swoon hosts a pop-up salon/party of ecstatic aesthetic embellishments to support the creation of a community activated arts center. Saturday 9/8 at 7pm $20 entry. $5 and Up for Salon services.

14. Music/Literature/Comedy – John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders at City Winery. A night of music, readings, and laughs with an array of guests. Saturday 9/8 . Doors 6pm. Show: 8pm. $25 to $35.

15. Theater – The Zebra Shirt of Lonely Children (part of the Fringe Encores Series, best of the Fringe Festival) at the Huron Club, 15 Vandam St., Saturday 9/8, 8pm. $18.

16. Art/Crafts/Food – UrbanSpace Meatpacking. Arts and Crafts and food Marketplace. Under the High Line across from the Standard Hotel. All weekend. FREE

17. Dance – Fall for Dance tickets go on sale Sunday 9/9, 11am for performances between Sep 27 to Oct 13. All tickets $15 but they go fast!

18. Talks/Design/Film – The Public Open offers tickets to FREE events such as talks by Interactive Artist Ben Rubin (see our post) and Pentagram Partner Paula Scher on their contributions to the new Public Theater, and films of some of the Public’s previous shows. Events are in October but you must RSVP for tickets and they are available now.

UPDATES:

Art: GO: Brooklyn Community-Curated Open Studio Project – Saturday 9/8 and Sunday 9/9, 11am to 7pm. FREE

Dance: DANCENOW Festival at Joe’s Pub tonight, Saturday 9/8. Doors open at 6pm; Show 7pm. $15 in advance; $20 at door.

Food: Smorgasburg Sundays starting Sunday 9/9 at the cool Tobacco Factory in Dumbo near Brooklyn Bridge Park. Over 75 food vendors. 11am to 6pm through 11/18. FREE

Check back in over the weekend for possible updates or check our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for additional ideas. Most of all, have a great weekend!