ONGOING: China isn't just about thousands of perfectly choreographed dancers celebrating the Olympics. It has punk culture too, and it's beautifully captured in "Sound Kapital: Beijing's Music Underground," a show of photographs at Govinda Gallery.
Check out the visual evidence of the rebellious kids of China. It looks like American punk, but it hasn't been taken over by Hot Topic. Yet.
» Govinda Gallery, 1227 34th St. NW; through Nov. 28, free; 202-333-1180.
Photo courtesy Matthew Niederhauser
ONGOING: Sure, you could go see the big William T. Wiley retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Or you could see his new solo show, "Trust Us for Just Us," at a tiny gallery in Dupont Circle. Which sounds better as your Facebook status? Yeah, that's what we thought too.
The show closes Nov. 14, so you'd better hurry.
» Marsha Mateyka Gallery, 2012 R St. NW; through Nov. 14, free; 202-328-0088. (Dupont Circle)
Photo courtesy Marsha Mateyka Gallery
MONDAY: It's not really clear why a bunch of people from National Public Radio (including host Jacki Lyden, pictured) are talking about photography ... but they are. Maybe mankind has learned to transmit photos through the radio, and nobody told us.
A panel of photographers and NPR journalists will speak about digital storytelling as part of a Fotoweek DC event. To attend, RSVP to pictureshow@npr.org.
» National Geographic, Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW; Mon., Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m., free; 202-857-7700. (Dupont Circle)
Photo by Bill O'Leary
THIS WEEKEND: If you have the means to get out the the Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, a magical wonderland is waiting for you there. And by that we mean they are building a giant Christmas tree entirely out of Lego blocks, and THEY NEED YOUR HELP.
This is exactly like that dream you once had where Santa came to your window and knocked and said only you could make the toy he needed and you saved Christmas, but then you woke up and it was January and Christmas was farther away than the moon. So we guess this event is better than that dream.
Disclaimer: This event is actually aimed at children.
» Arundel Mills Mall, 7000 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover; Fri.-Sun., Nov. 6-8, free; 410-540-5100.
Photo courtesy Lego
FRIDAY: After a three-year hiatus from television, brothers Jamie and Bobby Deen hope to be burning up the small screen with a new Food Network hit by 2010.
Until then, the pair is busy letting their recipes speak for themselves with their latest cookbook: "The Deen Brothers Take It Easy." Relax with the cooking duo at Barnes and Noble where they'll be signing copies of the new book.
» Barnes and Noble, 7851 Tysons Corner Center, McLean; Fri., Nov. 6, 7 p.m., free; 703-506-2937.
Photo courtesy Ballantine Books
ONGOING: The Alex Gallery near Dupont Circle extends a welcome to David Goslin, whose works helped define the Washington Color School movement. "Re-Introducing David Goslin" demonstrates how the D.C.-specific style progressed since its inception in the 1960s. Goslin's clean, bright lines and sense of visual balance give a modern spin to the stripe-heavy genre while retaining its mid-century appeal.
» Alex Gallery, Gallery A, 2106 R St. NW; through Nov. 30, free; Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment; 202-667-2599. (Dupont Circle)
Photo courtesy Alex Gallery
PHOTO TECHNOLOGY of the digital age has yet to exhaust its filmless possibilities. But "In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes," at the National Gallery of Art, reminds us that technology's role in broadening aesthetic horizons isn't a modern phenomenon.
Chronicling image-development procedures from William Henry Fox Talbot's photogenic drawings to chromogenic realist masterpieces of William Eggleston and Edward Burtynsky to the impossibly rich hues of Harry Callahan and the surreal landscapes of Richard Misrasch, the collection observes the subtle distinctions achieved through organic elements of image production.
Whether cyan tone-salted paper prints, albumen treatments, gelatin silver or the photomechanical processes of photogravure or halftone, "In the Darkroom" celebrates the craftsmanship that afforded icons such as the late Robert Penn Warren to, quoting a recent New Yorker eulogy, contrive "a quality of deep color that was the envy of every other photographer."
Continue Reading "Surprises in the Dark: 'In the Darkroom'" »
WEDNESDAY: It's a myth that no one is from D.C. and we're all immigrants here. But everyone has a story of migration in their background, whether it's through Ellis Island or across the Bering Strait.
Political analyst and longtime D.C. journalist Steven Roberts tells the stories of modern transplants to this great nation in his new book, "From Every End of This Earth," and will be speaking about it tonight at the National Press Club.
» National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW; Wed., Nov. 4, 6 p.m., free; 202-662-7500. (Metro Center)
WEDNESDAY: Dear Mary Karr: When you title your memoir "Lit," we're going to expect it to be about literature, rather than alcoholism. Luckily, your book is so good that you're off the hook for your poor communication skills. It's a story of addiction and redemption, told with uncommon humor. Karr will be speaking and reading at Politics and Prose tonight.
» Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW; Wed., Nov. 4, 7 p.m, free; 202-364-1919. (Van Ness)
Photo by Marion Ettlinger
THIS WEEK: Photographs aren't just comment fodder on Facebook — they can be art too. FotoWeek DC starts Saturday, bringing with it all kinds of fun (and free) events, photography classes and some very high-profile photographers.
As part of the "NightVisions" event, would-be shutterbugs are encouraged to go out and snap anywhere in D.C. between 6 p.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday, then bring their handiwork into the FotoWeekDC studio in Georgetown (3338 M Street NW). Professional editors will be on hand to pick the best shot each photographer takes. Those chosen will then be printed, hung up and included in a digital slideshow that will play all week long. To join in, e-mail the Fotoweek crew at nightvisions@fotoweekdc.org.
Fotoweek will also mark the debut of FotoWalk, a 300-yard-long public gallery in Crystal City which will be open through March.
» Sat., Nov. 7-Sat., Nov. 14. For other event information check out Fotoweekdc.org.
Written by Express' Sarah Mimms
Photo by Dayna Smith for the Washington Post
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