San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Jozefius Vaatierz Ratius (left) and SAXIMUS of SWARMIUS, a band playing at NWEAMO this year
Film
Screen gems: Why watch blockbuster films that took more than the city of San Diego’s budget deficit to produce when you can marvel at the madness of mankind through footage salvaged from the backwaters of television? The Found Footage Festival—curated by The Onion alumni Joe Picket and Nick Prueher—is like The Daily Show’s best moments of Zen all rolled into one night of glorious mediocrity. The New York-based touring festival will be in San Diego on Monday, Feb 28, at The Casbah (2501 Kettner Blvd. in Middletown). The show, which starts at 8:30 p.m., will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the short doc Heavy Metal Parking Lot. It’s awesome—just ask anyone who attended CityBeat’s screening of it last summer. $12. foundfootagefest.com
Art
Past meets present: When you think of the Timken Museum, the words “avant garde” probably don’t come to mind. The Balboa Park gallery, located next to the San Diego Museum of Art, is all about artwork by masters from the 15th through 19th centuries. But, starting Friday, Feb. 25, the Timken will host four pieces by groundbreaking contemporary video artist Robert Wilson—three inside the museum on 65-inch high-def plasma monitors and one projected on the museum’s exterior south wall. The portraits, all live video, feature Robert Downey Jr., Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jeanne Moreau and Winona Ryder in scenes inspired by classic masterpieces—like Downey’s eerie reenactment of Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp and Moreau’s Mary Queen of Scots, inspired by Nicholas Hilliard’s 1578 portrait. Robert Wilson Video Portraits runs through May 15 and includes a series of related educational programs. For a full schedule, see timkenmuseum.org.
Covering the wall: When CityBeat started putting local art on its cover a few years ago, the visual-art community responded. After appearing on our front page, artists have scored shows, sold pieces and networked—which, aside from wanting to be a pretty little alternative newsweekly with engaging covers, was what we had in mind. And, sure, we thought of organizing a show someday featuring our talented cover artists, but the task seemed so daunting. Enter Alexander Salazar. The guy’s got something going on in either his gallery or auction house every night of the week, and at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, he’ll exhibit the first-ever CityBeat Covers Art show and live auction at his new space, 1040 Seventh Ave., Downtown. We’ll see you there. alexandersalazarfineart.com
All together now: SPACE 4 ART (325 15th St. in East Village) is perhaps one of the most beautiful examples we’ve seen of teamwork, togetherness and shared space. The venue, consisting of three warehouses converted into artist studios, houses more than 35 artists. From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, it’ll open its latest exhibition, Fifth Season, curated by Quint Contemporary Art gallery director Ben Strauss-Malcolm. He selected five artists from the space’s roster and guided them in creating new works. Stop by to see the result and take a peek inside the artists’ studios, most of which will be open. The New West Electronic Arts and Music Organization (see more about them under “Music” on this page) will also be on hand for a performance. sdspace4art.org
Music
As far as categories go, “new music” is remarkably broad, covering everything from traditional notation to bizarre computer experimentation. In new music, “classical” and “pop” often collide, leading to such events as the Electronic Arts & Music Festival, which takes place at SDSU’s Smith Recital Hall at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25 and 26. A collaboration between the New West Electronic Arts and Music Organization and the Tribeca New Music Festival, the intriguingly weird program (including a 20-minute rendition of Philip Glass’ fivehour masterpiece Einstein on the Beach) culminates on Saturday with the world premiere of SWARMIUS’s “Dragon,” a work for a wacky ensemble (including beat boxers and an 11-piece hand-bell choir) that’s inspired by Gershwin, Lady Gaga, Charlie Parker and Super Mario Bros. $15, $10 for students and seniors. nweamo.com
Dance
Mix it up: The type of dancing you’ll see in a Compangie La Baraka performance is an amalgam of styles that refuses to be pinned down. OK, that’s some nice traditional ballet, you’ll think. Then, in a split second, the dancer will move around in a modern-meets-tribal-meets-WTF frenzy of awesomeness. Founded by French Algerian dancer / choreographer Abou Lagraa in 1997, Compangie La Baraka will make its San Diego debut at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, with music by the Debussy String Quartet, at UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium. An after-party and reception with the dancers will happen at 10 p.m. in The Loft, located upstairs in the Price Center. Tickets range from $30 to $40.
Fashion
Culture party: The trend these days is to put on not just a fashion show or concert. Bo-ring. Instead, groups like Project Ethos are choosing to combine three or more artistic disciplines for a night that’s a smorgasbord of creativity, a testament to our society’s commitment to multi-tasking. On Friday, Feb. 25, Project Ethos will take over FLUXX nightclub (500 Fourth Ave., Downtown) for an evening of fashion, music and art, featuring a lot of local talent. Catch a performance by L.A. rapper MANN, seven runway shows (featuring local designers Stacie May and Keisha Audrey Designs) and art installations by four artists who’ll also be doing some live painting. Dress in your finest attire, hit the red carpet (from 7 to 9 p.m.) and get ready for a whole lot of stimulation. General admission is $20, VIP $50. projectethos.com
