University of South Carolina Libraries
THEY SAID IT “The conscious utterance of thought, by p ' speech or action, to any end, is art.” Monday, October 11, 2004 writer CREATIVE CONSERVATION PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Left: Bruce Onobrakpeya has used Urhobo shrine art as inspiration in his pieces, including this work entitled “Agbogidi.” Right: This ancestor shrine is an example of the traditional Urhobo art used in the exhibit. The display attempts to show the entire Urhobo culture by offering lectures and classes along with the exhibit. ‘ Where Gods and Mortals Meet’ strives to capture an African culture in jeopardy. By JULIA SELLERS THE GAMECOCK The spirit of Africa will come alive in Columbia on Friday when the Museum of Art unveils “Where Gods and Mortals Meet: Continuity and Renewal in Urhobo Art,” an exhibit featuring the Urhobo people of the Niger River Delta. A decline in the Urhobo culture because of industrialization in the area has prompted efforts to help preserve the culture and celebrate it as well. “The Urhobo people are in the part of the Niger Delta that is rich in oil resources, so their land has been somewhat taken over,” said Ellen Woodoff, director of marketing and communications for the museum. “What this exhibition does is spread awareness and preserve their culture in the face of industrialization.” The exhibit, originally titled, “Beauty for the Gods,” will feature traditional artworks from 1850 to 1975. This includes approximately 80 artworks, photos, video and audio recordings of cultural performances, most which have never been seen before this exhibition. It will also include 7- to 8-feet tall wooden sculptures — some of the largest in Africa — metal and clay sculptures and masks and costumes. Unlike traditional an displays, this exhibit will highlight the work’s central purpose — to pay homage to ancestors and gods. It will be exhibited in settings that resemble typical Urhobo dwellings. “The display shows how the art works are actually used by the people. It is more in context,” Woodoff said. “They aren’t displayed as an for an’s sake.” The exhibition will also feature contemporary artwork by Bruce Onobrakpeya, a Urhobo from birth and one of Africa’s premier artists. Onobrakpeya draws from historical Urhobo an as inspiration for his own compositions. To create a more in-depth cultural experience, the artwork will be complimented by lectures and classes related to the exhibit. The exhibit “combines visual arts, audio, video and celebratory dancing. Visitors will see the lull context with music and poetry and come away with a nice rounded picture of a culture that is very different from our own. Not many exhibits include as many aspects of the culture,” Woodoff said. Related programs include gallery talks, poetry readings and children’s programs. Guided tours of the exhibit, talks with Onobrakpeya and other local artists, and film viewings will also be offered. “I think students and patrons coulc learn the role that art can play in ; culture and preserving a culture fron this exhibit,” Woodoff said “Hopefully it will give them a broade sense of the world and the experience of a whole different culture that w< aren’t use to.” The exhibit’s curator is Perkins Foss a former professor at Dajrtmoutl College and Plymouth State College Foss has studied the Urhobo culture since the 1960s, first with the Nigeriar Department for Antiquities and then or his own with continued trips to the region. Foss also holds two Urhobt chieftaincy titles. The exhibit will be displayed in the Lipscomb Family Galleries at the Museum of Art until Jan, 16. For more information about related events with the exhibit, contact Ellen Woodoff at 343-2215. Some events require reservations. After Columbia, “Where Gods and Mortals Meet” will travel to the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. The exhibit was originally organized at the Museum for African Art in New York. Admission to the museum, located on the corner of Main and Hampton streets is $5 for adults, $2 for students and free for everyone on Saturdays. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK The Hall of Horrors in Cayce will benefit the S.C. Jaycee Camp Hope for the mentally disabled and Sistercare, for battered women. Hall of Horrors spooks victims for a good cause By NATALIE NETZEL THE GAMECOCK The Jaycee’s Hall of Horrors opens Oct. 22 in Cayce with proceeds benefiting local chairities, including the S.C. Jaycee Camp Hope for the mentally disabled and Sistercare, for battered women and their children, and two scholarship funds. The Hall will be open Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22 and 23 and finishes its run Oct. 27 through Halloween night. The House opens at 7:30 p.m. and goes until midnight or earlier if “the crowds Die down sooner.” Every room has a different theme, including a maze — one of the darkest in the state, according to Paul Hunter, chairman for the Hall of Horrors. “We always change the rooms; they are never the same (in order to) give the people something new and keep their interest,” Hunter said. Check the event Web site, www.hallofhorrors.com, for special deals and coupons that may creep up. Such deals are applicable mainly for the dates before Halloween weekend. Cash is accepted along with checks with an ID, but no credit or debit cards. Area radio stations will also be getting in on the seasonal fun. On Friday, 93.1 FM will be there from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Oct. 22, FOX 102 will be daere from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Oct: 28, 93.5 will be rocking the scene from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. On all of the dates the Cayce Boy Scout troops will be selling food in case hunger attacks. The haunted house is an industrial warehouse located at the corner of 12th and Walter Price Streets, across from the Cayce City Hall. Visitors — or victims — can expect a short introductory video highlighting the rules and regulations upon arrival. Only 15 people are allowed per tour, and the tour lasts 25 to 30 minutes. The rooms are pitch black, forcing visitors to feel their ways through. The house holds its share of tricks and turns. Characters up the scare factor by interacting with the people. “We want everybody to have fun,” Hunter said, adding that they consider the production to be essentially like a show or a play. Providing a great seasonal service activity, students are always encouraged to help out before the house opens and throughout the evening, as needed. Volunteers are encouraged to be at the house by 6:15 p.m., in order to have all instructions cleared and any script rehearsed. Hunter promised, “the best and most intense experience,” and people with heart or * respiratory problems, back or neck injuries, or claustrophobia are cautioned against entering The Hall. -* Comments oil this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu MOVIE REVIEW Documentary offers fresh view, putsAl-Jazeera in ‘Control’ “CONTROL ROOM” ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By D.E. MCGUIRT THE GAMECOCK • “Control Room,” which ends its run at the Nickelodeon tonight, is an important movie, far more important than a certain other prominent documentary featuring a rotund fellow in a ball cap who enjoys posing and preening for the camera. If you happen to be a journalist or a journalism student, you should plan on seeing it. But it is not the kind of movie one goes to for a popcorn-chomping good time. It lacks edge-of-your-seat excitement and, as a documentary, is even a little deficient in providing scenes of visual poignancy and gravity. The movie, directed by Jehane Noujaim, was shot during the buildup and the early days of the U.S. invasion of Saddam-ruled Iraq. It follows reporters and producers working for the infamous satellite news station Al-Jazeera (infamous, of course, because of all those lovely vignettes they’ve broadcast featuring Osama and company delivering fatwas against the West). We see the folks at Al-Jazeera at work in their news headquarters and at U.S. Central Command headquarters, both in Qatar. We see clips of Jazeera ♦ Please see CONTROL, page 7 PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK "Control Room” documents war time reporting through the lens of Al-Jazeera, the Arab TV network. CD REVIEW R.E.M. travels Around the Sun ’ to deliver emotive new collection “Around the Sun” R.E.M. ★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By MEG MOORE THE GAMECOCK As the torchbearers of alternative rock, R.E.M. has made a career out of toeing the line between selling records and selling out. Their tunes have never aspired to top-of-the-charts status. Instead hits like the breakout “One I Love” have sounded like accidental successes, tunes that radio listeners just happened to latch onto. Over 20 years later, the band born out of the Athens, Ga., bar scene is now regarded as one of popular music’s most influential innovators. Few current rock bands could list their inspirations without mentioning R.E.M. somewhere along the line. The group’s latest effort, “Around the Sun,” is yet another solid entry into their enviable catalog of gem-laden releases. It’s a record that grows more rootsy the more you listen to it, that sounds more comfortably worn-in with each rotation. Initially, the tracks sound ^omewhat homogonous. Indeed, they are all well crafted pop tunes, but their subtle nuances — the ethereal background sounds that color “The Worst Joke Ever” and the title track, for instance — are slow to surface. The album’s leadoff song and first single, “Leaving New York,” has an intro that recalls “Daysleeper,” a minor hit off the band’s 1998 album, “Up.” The mellow, mid-tempo jaunt proves to be evocative of the CD’s overall, laid-back vibe. Michael Stipe’s once trademark mumble has evolved into a clean-yet quirky delivery, giving tunes such as “Leaving New York” the same VH1 ready appeal as “Bad Day” and “The Great Beyond.” At the same time, Stipe continues to inflect each line with a certain vulnerability, more timid songsmith than alt-rock icon. As he confesses ♦ Please see R.E.M., page 7 CONCERT REVIEW Carolina Alive show jazzes up audience CAROLINA ALIVE CONCERT ★★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By KIT CURTIN THE GAMECOCK Jazz vocal ensemble Carolina Alive delivered a scintillating performance Friday night to a capacity crowd in the School of Music Recital Hall. Their entertaining and varied program featured jazz classics and introduced a composition written by Carolina Alive vocalist Laura Nevitt. Carolina Alive, directed by Shannon Jeffries, is made up of 11 vocalists and a jazz combo consisting of Lenora Morrow on piano, Reggie Sullivan and Lance Bidlack on bass, Julie Licata on drums and professors Tim Kintzinger and Larry Wyatt on trumpet. Each member of Carolina Alive has a distinct part in the group, and most were featured as soloists. With the exception of Kintzinger and Wyatt, all members of Carolina Alive are USC students, and most are music students. These students rose to remarkably professional standards Friday night. ornlini A Inrp'r imkoat nrurnor i- r “Sing, Sing, Sing” showcased the group’s lush harmonies and winning stage presence. Carolina Alive’s flair for performance and love of music were evident from the concert’s opening moments as they established an immediate rapport with the audience. Next, the group performed “Fever” with Brian Greenleaf as soloist. Greenleaf brought a smooth voice and winning manner to this clever and upbeat piece. His timing was impeccable and the group backed him with precision and energy. A bit later in the program, “Back on Base” showcased soloist Claudia Adams’ sultry voice, which soared above the ensemble with a powerful, expressive sound. In the slower song “You Win,” Lindsay Brown stepped forward to solo over a pch harmonic texture. ♦ Please see ALIVE, page 7