This Thursday is a busy night for art in Nashville. At the monthly Thursday Night Things at OZ, photographer and recent Nashville transplant Michael Weintrob is presenting his collection of 75 photographs dubbed InstrumentHead. Weintrob photographed Nashville musicians with their instrument of choice replacing their head. Full disclosure: I’m one of the musicians featured. For my portrait, I went with one of the first toys I circuit-bent, a sleep machine that plays sounds of the ocean, ticking clocks, chimes, etc to help people fall asleep. I bent it to make all sorts of crazy noises back in 2007. It was just something visually-interesting that I had handy at the time of the photo.
Many of the musicians profiled will perform Thursday evening, including Brian Siskind, Black Cat Sylvester, Roy Futureman Wooten, Jeff Coffin, Sam Bush, and more. The show opens at 6:30 p.m.with Brian Siskind kicking things off. Tickets are $12 at the door.
Over at Third Man Records, the Light and Sound Machine returns with the Czech mindfuck Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. I was lucky enough to see this at a private screening James Cathcart hosted for his birthday a few years back. I can’t say I loved it, but it’s definitely an experience. Tickets are $10 at the door. Show starts at 7 p.m.
Thursday night also marks the premiere of a new art series at Adventure Science Center’s Sudekum Planetarium. For years, I’ve been hearing people talk about what an amazing space our planetarium is … followed by wishes that it get used for more than star maps and laser light shows. Someone at ASC seems to be listening. From the ASC press release:
What happens when you turn art and music loose … in a planetarium?
To find out, the Sudekum Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center is opening Dome Club Nashville. This monthly event will showcase immersive programs and artistic experiences designed to envelop visitors within the unique fulldome planetarium environment.
Wait, what’s “fulldome”?
“Fulldome” refers to technology that covers the entire surface of a planetarium dome with graphics. Seated within our 63-foot diameter dome, you’ll be surrounded by visuals in front of, above, and even behind you. Without the rectangular frame of a TV or movie screen, you’ll feel a part of the scene. Powerful surround sound adds to the effect.
The Sudekum Planetarium presents fulldome science experiences every day. Dome Club provides a venue for alternative programs. These may include immersive cinema or visualization projects, dance, games, or concerts … anything that takes advantage of the fulldome environment. Dome Club is also a place to connect and enhance the lines between the art of science and the science of art.
The grand opening of Dome Club Nashville will be on Thursday, October 16, 2014, at 7:30 pm. This first night will feature Home Grown Dome, a 45 minute compilation of fourteen short works created by students, artists, and animators from around the world. These pieces were finalists in the annual DomeFest fulldome film festivals between 2004-2009.
Hell. Yes. Learn more at sudekumplanetarium.com/domeclub.
