The Barbican Art Gallery is offering a glimpse of life in downtown Manhattan in the early 1970s — at least through the eyes of a particular group of artists. The “Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, New York 1970s” exhibition, at the gallery through May 22, features sculptures, drawings, photographs, documentation of performances, and mixed-media...
Seun Kuti, an Afrobeat bandleader and the youngest son of Fela Kuti, is on tour to support his new album, “From Africa With Fury: Rise“, produced by Brian Eno. With its strong horn melodies, grooving rhythms and punchy song titles (“African Soldier”, “Rise”), the album is a mix of classic, energetic Afrobeat rhythms and...
Brian Burton and Composer Daniele Luppi Reinvent the Spaghetti Western Soundtrack. For his latest album, super-producer Danger Mouse (AKA Brian Burton) joined forces with LA-based composer and frequent collaborator Daniele Luppi for Rome, a spaghetti western-inspired tour de force. Referencing Ennio Morricone, legendary composer of soundtracks for A Fistful of Dollars and The Good,...
It’s been 20 years since Vincent Ahehehinnou and his bandmates in the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou could afford to spend their days playing music. Back then, the band from Benin — formed in the late ’60s following the country’s independence from France — was busy spreading the joys of Afrobeat, a blend of soul,...
At the beginning of the 2000s, Rachel Millward and Pinny Gryllis were making low-budget short films in London, but had no peer network. In an effort to change this, they decided to buy out London’s Curzon Soho Cinema on a November night in 2002 to debut one of their films. That same night, they...
In London, you can take classes on how to make graffiti. On weekends, street artist Andy Seize gives graffiti lessons to children and adults who pay between £35 and £150 per session. Since he works in pre-approved spaces, Seize doesn’t have to worry about London’s active graffiti clean-up crews. “ will always have people...
Throughout the three-day Kinetica Art Fair, fans of scientific specifics — robotics, wave forms, gravity — will grapple with more human, philosophical ideas — spirituality, relationships. The fair, which runs Feb. 4 to 6, is a place to witness artists “harnessing the powers of nature and cosmic energy as a means of expression,” according...
“Slackistan”, a debut feature from Hammad Khan, follows the uneventful lives of a group of aimless, privileged 20-somethings. They hang out, wear T-shirts, smoke, listen to music, get bored, drive around, and talk about stuff. The film’s story—it would be tough to call it a plot—could unfold in any number of places around the...
On the belief that poetry is indeed a growing, expanding art form, this year, Southbank Center will host its annual T.S. Eliot Prize Readings festival in larger digs: the Royal Festival Hall. The shortlisted poets for this year’s prize, a prestigious award for the best poetry collection of 2010, are Simon Armitage, Annie Freud,...
Attended the morning session of the Carbon Capture and Storage Forum in London last week, and heard several people speak about their efforts to make carbon capture and storage operations a reality in Europe. Mostly, speakers representing various operations in Scotland, the UK and continental Europe seemed to be pitching their ideas in an...