4 . + Page 8- The Michigan Daily-Friday, March 11, 1988 Holocaust exhibit mirrors tragic By Lauren Shapiro The past cannot be forgotten. This is the message Marcia Pollen- berg conveys in her collection Spe- cial Treatment now in exhibition at the Rackham Galleries. In accordance with the Ninth Annual Conference on the Holocaust, Special Treatment deals with the events leading up to World War II, the Warsaw Ghetto, and many of the Holocaust victims. Pollenberg believes, "As human beings who are aware of our own historical past and sensitive to the other people around us, it is our duty to remember their lives and what they endured." The title of the ex- hibit, Special Treatment , originates with the Nazis. They used the term as a euphemism for "immediate death," a treatment given to most who arrived at the concentration camps. Pollenberg explains that one of the major themes in her work is to question "what is reality?" The entire Holocaust situation seems so far away and long ago that Pollenberg thimks we can't really absorb the horrific scenario which victims and survivors endured. For this reason, Pollenberg frames the lives of some Holocaust victims on her canvas. In her portrait of Lou Ernst, she throws a spark -of red upon the woman's chest to represent a carna- tion Ernst was reputed as wearing every day - a symbol revealing the passion and joy within her life. The last depiction of Ernst, a mug shot taken by the Nazis, shows her as a decaying woman looking away from the joy of life into death. Pollenberg thinks that "for the lives and deaths of those who perished in the Holocaust to have meaning, we must keep their tragic memories alive." The artist combines solemn col- ors and some abstract shapes with her more descriptive portraits to produce a collection which rivets the imagination toward the gruesome reality of her exhibit. She uses a thick black canvas to contrast against the agony of skeletons piled up on top of each other. By pasting xerox copies of real photographs onto her canvas, she reveals the sources of her work and reinforces the reality of this situation. Pollen- berg also paints the passports of several of the victims. The most tragic of these depictions are the portraits of children between the ages of five and ten who were killed al- most immediately at the onset of the war. Pollenberg paints with a sense of surrealistic quality because the reality in her works is unimaginable to many of us. She bases her works on photographs taken by American soldiers who liberated the concentration camps in 1945. She also uses some photographs taken by the Nazis themselves to document what they considered a magnificent feat: the extermination of an entire people. Pollenberg combines some literature she researched with the paintings to create a strong, emotional, and moving message for the public. Her history works create a sense of awareness of our vulnerability - what we think could never happen again is not an imnossibility. Marcia Pollenberg's exhibit SPECIAL TREATMENT will be, showing at Hillel , 339 E. Liberty Street, suite 200. The hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can meet the artist Monday, March 14, from 7 to 10 p.m. For more information, call Hillel at 663-3336. 1 fl niVer""is'__:_.: ____:{.____:}: Apply Impact Jazz Dance Soph Show No w for Comedy Company Starbound CommitteeTech. Crew Viewpoint Lectures Chair Special Events Ticket Central Positions: Michigras Laughtrack Mini-Courses MUSKET Mediatrics Homecoming College Bowl Soundstage applications are due in the UAC offices (2105 M. Union) by Friday, March 18 3:00pm sign up for interview date and time for more info, call 763-1 107 - CLASSIFIED ADSI Call 764-0557 Records Viv Akauldren I'll Call You Sometime Akashic Records I'll Call You Sometime, the sec- ond LP from Detroit's Viv Akaul- dren, is a masterpiece that passes through several planes of existence as gently as a Wells-ian time traveller. With its mystic touch, hard rock showcases, and Eastern melodies, the album covers an impressive span of ground and still manages to gel in the process. As the title suggests, V.A. in- vokes an element of mystery in their style. The trio explores cities, cele- brations, and "inn'er currents." Even when they get very spiritual sound- ing, with Eastern percussion and- PASSPORT PHOTOS $7.95 With This Ad. KINKO'S OPEN 24 HOURS 540 East Liberty 761-4539 1220 South University 747-9070 other-worldly keyboards that sing with the sirens' magnetism, the ef- fect is suprisingly modern, without any of the '60s rehash you hear in too many other bands. Keir McDon- ald's synthesizer arrangements are beautiful and hypnotic - a few lis- tens will reveal how much is always going on. If tracks like "The Secret" and the instrumental "The Maker of the Sun and Moon" delve into a more etherel mood, then "Firewater," "City Magic," and the opener "Of," with its search and destroy guitar tactics, quickly dispel any doubt that V.A. is not a rock band. Songs like these leave the mysticism to the lyrics, and instead crank with a vengeance. "Is This It" rides to a propulsive climax after several key changes, burning to the beat of Jeff Phry's anguished vo- cals. The epic "City Magic," a fero- cious seven minute cut, is a tale of salvation and voyeurism withy Phry as omniscient narrator. His guitar feedback lingers behindDeb Agolli's tense drumming, pushing the song to its limit. I'll Call You Sometime has been available for a few months now; do yourself a favor and don't put it off for as long as I have. -Beth Fertig Breaking Circus Smokers' Paradise Homestead Records Dirty, dirty, dirty. But who can we blame? No one but ourselves. Without human nature, there would be no Gang of Four ... no Big Black ... no Breaking Circus. So we can go ahead and pat our- selves on the back for creating a so- ciety which delves in the dirty ... wallows in rape, murder, and suicide. Because without it, B.C. might be releasing songs about something silly, like love. Fortunately we don't have to worry about things like that, and B.C. has been able to do what they do best, taking these subjects to vinyl like no band before. Smokers' Paradise is a terrific follow up to 1985's The Very Long Fuse, and 1987's The Ice Machine, which saw founder Steve Bjorklund joined by Riflesport rhythm section Todd Trainer and Pete Conway. This mini LP also sports line-up changes, fortunately for the best. Chainsaw guitars and Gang of Four-style rhythm paired with Bjorklund's "slap in the face" vocals create one of the most powerful sounds to be discov- ered in years. All the strength of Naked Raygun with the precision of Joy Division and Wire. The mini LP is loaded with choice cuts, including a tremendous piece entitled "Shockhammer Thirteen," an incorporation of jazz, coun- try/hardcore (somewhat like Gun Club or Beast of Burbounish), and grungy dirge noise, proving that this is one band not stuck within the constraints of one musical genre. -Robert Flaggert Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Smashed Hits Red Rhino Records An egotistical musical mishap. The Lorries seem to think that plas- tering the back cover of the LP with clips about themselves justifies a collection of material such as Smashed Hits. Which is sad, becauset this album could conceivably be good, it just seems that too often not enough work was put into it. The music has no "meat" to it, and the vocals are so over produced that it becomes boring. The Lorries sway between wanting to be Echo and the Bunnymen and wanting to be Big Black, but never choose one path to follow. Unfortunately they are con- stantly the victims of this musical dilemma which trips them up on every song. I truly don't think the Lorries are poor musicians, but they're undeci- sive, and possibly a bit apprehensive as to the direction they want their talents to take them. With better production and a single solid sound, the next release could be quite a bit tighter and truly rock... I hope. -Robert Flaggert *1 11 I f IC u Al only at 1122 S. University L YOU CAN EAT Chicken Wings (This Sunday ONLY between 4 and 9pm) 665-9009 U" R p sp The brand-new Michigan Bell CASH CARD. cards and CA$H CARD phones.It'sthe super convenient way to make calls. When you buy Michigan Bell CA$H CARD cards for $2, $5 or $10, you'll be ready for any calls you 8:30 - 93Q k- r Rin o.WY.~i .1 m " I . I 1118 - M a V A A,