St. Louis Beacon - Review: Birds trump buildings

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Review: Birds trump buildings

By Ivy Cooper, Special to the Beacon

Posted 10:14 am Thu., 8.12.10

Laurent Grasso, film stills from Les Oiseaux, 2008; digital video on DVD, 8 minutes 55 seconds, looped; © Laurent Grasso, Courtesy: Sean Kelly Gallery, New York

French artist Laurent Grasso's "Les Oiseaux" ("The Birds") (2008) is an extraordinary video piece now showing in the St. Louis Art Museum's New Media Series.

The eight-minute projection has the camera trained on the pink sunset over Rome's skyline and a series of curious dark clouds floating across it. The clouds turn out to be hundreds of starlings flying in groups, their synchronized motions creating unexpected, even thrilling shape-shifting effects that are more beautiful than the built structures in the city below.

With this video, as in all his art, Grasso dazzles our eyes while inspiring us to look anew at the wonders of the everyday world.

When: Through Oct. 10 | Where: St. Louis Art Museum, One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park | Information: 314-721-0072, www.slam.org

Ivy Cooper, a professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is the Beacon art critic. To reach her, contact Beacon features and commentary editor Donna Korando.

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Editors' Picks

Books
- The JCC is holding its used book sale Feb. 5-9 at the Jewish Community Center Staenberg Family Complex, #2 Millstone Campus Dr. $10 for Feb. 5 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) only. Free Feb. 6-8 (10 a.m.-7 p.m.) and Feb. 9 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
- "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes wins Man Booker prize: The 150-page book is a reflection of memory through the eyes of an ordinary man in his 60s. | Huffington Post
- Philip Levine will be new U.S. poet laureate: He is best known for his big-hearted, Whitmanesque poems about working-class Detroit. | New York Times
- Philip Roth awarded Man Booker International Prize for range and depth of his fiction: The decision prompted one of the three judges to resign in protest. | New York Times
Theater/Dance
- COCA Family Theatre Series presents "Twinkle Twonkle" (Tall Stories) Feb. 10-12. $14-$20. www.cocastl.org/FTS
- "One More Laugh," a comedy variety show, will be hitting the stage at Lemmons, 5800 Gravois on Tuesdays from 9-11 p.m. $1. For information, email the host, [email protected]
- "Book of Mormon" tops Tony field with 14 nominations: Another musical, "Scottsboro Boys," was nominated for 12 awards. | New York Times
- Fox's Mike Isaacson picked to head Muny: He will be only the third person to hold the executive producer position and the first to work at the Muny year-round. | STLtoday
Music
- The Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., is hosting a "Cdelebrate the Gospel" concert at 3 p.m. Feb. 12 with the The St. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Catholic Church choir. Included with admission ($4-$8 - free children 12 and under). Schoenberg Theater.
- Blues singer Etta James dies at age 73: Her assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last." | CNN
- Chamber Project Saint Louis presents "Very Open Rehearsal" at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Tavern of Fine Arts, 313 Belt Ave. Free
- Rob Hinkal (guitar, vocals) and Heather Lloyd (guitar, vocals, djembe) bring ilyAIMY (i love you And I Miss You) to the Focal Point, 2720 Sutton, at 8 p.m. June 18. $10 at the door 314-781-4200

Neighborhoods
- The Missouri Botanical Garden's Orchid Show will run from Jan. 28 through March 25. $5 in addition to regular garden admission. 4344 Shaw Blvd.
- "Run for the Chocolate" will take place Feb. 12 starting at 8 a.m. in downtown St. Louis. To find out more about this 5K run, go to downtownstl.org.
- The Missouri Botanical Garden is hosting Around the World Wine dinners on the third Friday of the month (Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 16) at 6:30 p.m. $58 a person, plus 18 percent tax and service. Reservations required: 314-577-0200.
- The Sam Fox School public lecture series presents Frank Barkow, architect, at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24 in Steinberg Hall Auditorium.
Visual Arts
- The Pulitzer's senior curator and curatorial staff will share their ideas about the religious, artistic and historical contexts of the works displayed in the "Reflection of the Buddha" at 2 p.m. Feb. 13. Free. 3716 Washington Blvd.
- Craft Alliance in the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand, presents Studio Design: Contemporary Furniture Feb. 10 (reception 6-8 p.m.) through April 8.
- "Harry Bertoia, Forty Years of Drawing" will run from Jan. 26 to March 17 at Gallery 210 on UMSL's North Campus. (Reception with Bertoia's daughter willgo from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 26) Check website for regular hours.
- Balazx Kicsiny's "Killing Time" will be on exhibit at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University, from Jan. 27-April 16 (opening reception 7-9 p.m. Jan. 27). Kicsiny will also speak on his work at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in Steinberg Hall.
Movies/TV
- Billy Crystal back as host of Oscars: He will replace Eddie Murphy, who dropped out after producer Brett Ratner resigned as producer. | New York Times
- HBO leads the field with 104 Emmy nominations: Its remake of "Mildred Pierce" led all shows with 21 nominations. | LA Times
- "Gunsmoke" marshal James Arness dies at age 88: As Matt Dillon, he led the cast of the TV show that set the bar for Westerns and became one of the longest-running prime-time series in network TV history. | LA Times
- Oprah Winfrey ends 25-year run: TV host is not so much leaving a job as reinventing herself — again. | Christian Science Monitor

'The Road Show' improv

Brent Jones | St. Louis Beacon

This Saturday was the debut of a new show by The Improv Shop that will bring out of town improv teams to St. Louis to play for — and with — a local audience. The Road Show brought teams "Everybody Grok" and "Felt" from Chicago.

We talked to Eric Christensen, producer of the Road Show and member of local improv team "Ted Dangerous"; Katie Nunn, member of "Ted Dangerous" and improv coach; and Melanie Penn and Ranjan Khan, members of local teams "Melanj" and "Magic Ratio"; about the St. Louis improv scene and why it's important to welcome teams from other cities to perform here.

See a larger version of the slideshow

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