The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, September 12, 2008 -S

FINE ARTS PREViWFM VE
Global art in
Michigan

By NORA FELDHUSEN
Daily Arts Writer
During the school year, Tati-
ana Calixto is alecturer ofSpan-
ish in the Romance Language
Department. This past summer,
she spent her time photograph-
ing the daily lives and culture of
the Andean people with whom
she lived nearly 4,000 miles
away in Cusco, Peru.
Her work is displayed at the
Slusser Gallery in the School of
Art & Architecture as part of
an exhibit opening this evening
at 6 p.m. called "From Here to
There." The exhibit will show
work by students, faculty and
staff in the School of Art &
Design who have spent time
studying, living or working
abroad. With its unique por-
trayal of traveling and creative
art it serves as a unique way to
experience other cultures.
Art & Design senior Jor-
dan D. Zielke spent the winter
studying art in Novia Scotia.
There he said, he reflected "on
his own identity, and what it
meant to be an American artis-
tic ambassador."
As a vessel of American cul-
ture and art abroad, Zielke
infused his work with new sur-
roundings in addition to explor-
ing his personal identity. One of
his pieces is a hand-sculpted
buffalo head, "a symbolic and
romanticized analogy for west-
ward travel," covered in maps
of the United States - "specific
locations for your mind to wan-
der."
While traveling, one collects
a suitcase full of experiences
and interactions. Art & Design
students and faculty can share
these experiences through
mediums like paint, pencil and
charcoal, fabric, prints, photog-
raphy and ceramic.
Kristin Needham, a senior
in the School of Art & Design,
studied the Intiglio printmak-
ing teclhnique in Cortona, Italy,
a small city in Tuscany. Her
piece "Vino Noble," is a print
of a wineglass with what looks
like a journal entry in the back-
ground. Another senior in the
program, Mia Schon, painted

six portraits of local restaurant
owners and house cleaners in
the community where she was
living: Paros, Greece. Pieces
such as these share both a pri-
vate moment and a personal -
experience through works of
open-ended art.
"From Here to There"
ranges from representations
of the individual experience
to communal feelings. Art &
Design Assistant Prof. Han-
nah Smotrich spent thesum-
mer collaborating with two
other faculty members on a
community arts project sur-
rounding the Jewish Cultural
Festival in Krakow, Poland.
Smotrich along with Stephanie
Rowden, a sound artist at the
School of Art & Design and a
professor from the University
of Montreal, created a forum
for communicating thoughts
and feelings about the festival.
One comment in the instal-
lation piece, translated from
Travelers share
their
experiences in
new exhibit.
Polish, expresses the need for
art in changing times: "Kaz-
imierz coming back to life fills
me with happiness. Here we
are appreciating culture while
commemorating people of the
past."
"There are as"many differ-
ent approaches to making art
as there are people," Mark
Neilsen, Director of Exhibits
at Slusser, said as he walked
around the gallery examining
student work from every dif-
ferent part of the globe. "From
Here to There" is an artistic
fulcrum between the world and
our campus - one that asks us
to reflect and take part in the
discussion about how we ar*
growing as a community and as
global citizens.

Going off the rails on a crazy..
SCenic thr1ler delivers

'Transsiberian' offers
unoriginal plot but
delivers
excitement
By ANNIE LEVENE
Daily Arts Writer
Mothers always warn their
children not to speak to strang-
ers. But as those

trust just anyone.
"Transsiberian" tells the story of
a married couple of Christian mis-
sionaries leaving China, who opt
to take the Trans-Siberian Railway
back to Moscow. Roy (Woody Har-
relson, "No Country for Old Men")
and Jessie (Emily Mortimer, "Lars
and the Real Girl") seem like your
average do-gooder pair. However, as
the film reveals early on, there will
be nothing ordinary about this train
ride. The first signs of tension come
during a lovers quarrel, and from
there it's a dead sprint to the action.
Quick camera cuts and the ever pres-
ent soundtrack of the train keep the
plot moving, leaving the viewer with
a sense of urgency and - the goal of
all thrillers - a feeling of unease.
Roy and Jessie's marital troubles
may have been long brewing. But
their misadventures on the train
come as a result of a pair of fellow
travelers with whom they share
their sleeping compartment, Abby
(Kate Mara, "We Are Marshall")
and Carlos (Spanish actor Eduardo

Noriega, "The Devil's Backbone").
The sexy and gregarious Carlos
wastes no time forming a somewhat
sinister bond with Jessie that drives
the plot for the rest of the film.
"Transsiberian" may be a typical
thriller in the respect that it sticks
closely to the genre's key devices
- the pace is fast, the action is con-
stant and our heroes are worth root-
ingfor inthe face ofbetter informed
and more menacing villains. How-
ever, where "Transsiberian" is at its
best is not during the action scenes
but in the moments in between.
The director, Brad Anderson ("The
Machinist"), does an excellent job
of contrasting the calm moments
with jarring displays of gunplay
and violence. The scenery he has at
his disposal - not only the Trans-
Siberian train but also the stunning
Lithuanian landscape (filling in for
the Russian countryside) which
Jessie and Roy find themselves trav-
eling through - is beautifully shot
and adds a certain mystique to the
movie.

With a plot that revolves around
drugs, money and unsavory foreign-
ers, it's easy for the mind to wander.
Anderson, however, plays with the
viewer's misconceptions, or suspi-
cions,, of how legal systems work
in countries other than the United
States. It leads the viewer to ques-
tion just how safe he or she is under
a foreign government.
"Transsiberian" also has the
added advantage of Oscar-winner
Sir Ben Kingsley ("The Wackness"),.
who almost always provides addi-
tional legitimacy to a film. Though
he doesn't have the biggest role,
he's clearly the true star of the
film. With this film he proves that
he is.one of our generation's great-
est actors - all the while rocking a
Russian accent and furry coat.
Plot wise, "Transsiberian"
doesn't have the most original plot.
It's entertaining, but leavesyouonce
you walk out of the theater. Even so,
with the strong cast and director,
this is a film worth viewing at least
once.

children grow
older, they gain
the awareness
that they will
be able to fend
for themselves,
and strang-
ers become less
worrisome. It's
at that point
that a movie like

* *
Transsiberian
At the
Michigan
Theatre
First Look
International

"Transsiberian" comes along and
smacks them in the face with the
realization that perhaps they can't


fo r
Love
at first
b ite
ByTRINA MANNINO
DailyArts Wrirer
Since its acclaimed series "The Yes, there will be blood.
Sopranos" ended last year, HBO has
failed to find a new drama to fill the mortal with the ability to hear others'
void left by its land- thoughts, and Bill Compton (Stephen
mark program. Moyer, "The Starter Wife"), a 173-
"John From Cincin- year-old vampire.
nati" and "Tell Me True Blood At first glance, "True Blood" seems
You Love Me" never like it belongs on the Sci-Fi Chan-
caught on, so the Sundays at nel rather than HBO. But the show's
cable station is try- 9 p.m. characters and storylines have a depth
ing yet again to find HBO reminiscent of HBO dramas like "Six
a suitable replace- Feet Under." That's not a surprise,
ment with the vam- considering both shows were created
pire thriller "True Blood." by Alan Ball. The show explores the
Don't expect the show to be any- challenges between humans and vam-
thing like "teen Wolf" or "Buffy the pires in a way that resembles race rela-
Vampire Slayer" - it's far from campy tions in the United States during the
and has no crappy special effects. 1960s.
Instead, "True Blood" depicts a Theshowhasauniquemix
fictitious vampire race of characters with strong
- referred to as personalities. Nelsan Ellis
"out of the cof- ("Veronica Mars") gives a
fin" - living memorable performance
side by side as an effeminate cook at
with humans. the local watering hole
Vampires are who enjoys harassing
feared by mor- the bar's conservative
tals despite the male clientele. Paquin
fact that they portrays Sookie as
can consume the perfect balance
synthetic blood between a naive
to curb their young girl and an
appetite for assertive woman.
humans. The While no one in her
show focuses town accepts vam-
on the develop- pires, Sookie openly
ing friendship lends a hand to a vam-
between Sookie pire in need. Emotion-
Stackhouse ally complex female
(Anna Paquin, characters'like Sookie
"X-Men"), a have been more preva-

The art of a word

lent on television in recent years. Like
the lead female roles on "The Closer"
and "Saving Grace," Sookie isn't just
another generic, pretty face, but a
powerful (though flawed) individual
fighting for what she believes in.
"True Blood"isvaguelyreminiscent
of NBC's "Heroes." Both shows have
supernatural characters and themes
of human justice. But "True Blood"
Buffy has
nothing on these
vivid characters.
sets itself apart because it depicts
multi-dimensional characters who are
identifiable. Unlike predictably "good"
and "bad" characters on "Heroes," the
main characters in "True Blood" don't
fit into one category and their unfore-
seeable actions are more interesting
to watch. Although "True Blood" is a
fantasy show, the characters' actions
reflect those of ordinary people, pro-
viding an element of realism.
Despite their popularity, "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off
"Angel" failed miserably in depicting
mythical vampires. But this show's
use of racial issues and strong char-
acters sets it apart from those other,
similarly-themed series.

By KATIE CAREY
Daily Arts Writer
How often do we go through
the day using the word "won-
der" without ever really paus-
ing to reflect on what exactly
it means? We throw the word
around casually, saying, "I
wonder what's for dinner
tonight" or "I was wondering
what you're doing later." But
what does it really mean to
experience wonder? This year
the History of Art Fall Sympo- .
sium attempts to answer that
question.
Though the bill for the pro-
gram notes that "the experi-
ence of wonder eludes words,"
four scholars will meet in
Rackham Auditorium this Sat-
urday to discuss this seeming-
ly paradoxicalword. Certainly,
these distinguished profes-
sors cannot take the stage and
remain silent for an hour; they
must find a way to articulate
the inexplicable, which per-
haps may be a wonder in itself.
"The Experience and Use of
Wonder," will compare how
this moment of wonder is 'and
has been represented across
time and through different
cultures.
"Wonder takes us out of the
ordinary, and we don't know
when it will happen," said art
history Prof. David Doris, the
organizer of the symposium.
Doris explained that there
are many objects and events
in our modern society that
are used to induce wonder.
Fireworks, for example, leave
the viewer suspended in an
"ooing and aahing" state. Dis-
ney World is a whole place
designed, catered and market-
ed on this sense of wonder. The
stars invoke wonder in many
people and might later prompt
scientific or theological curi-

osity. P
produc
alterin
ception
This
will be
with a
they
pulsing
ent so
music r
more l:
son Ai
Histor
"Wo
in vari
Thoug
forever
take t
Each s
this wi
pies an
where
produc
into ar
Th
ex
m
out tim
Z.S.;
African
versity
that tra
have i
ings t
away
tangib
"Ma
of per
in time
movem
audien
just in
movem

'sychedelics artificially movement of thought and
:e a sense of wonder by spirit," Doris said of the masks
g the brain and its per- Strother will discuss.
of the world. Also set to speak is Robert
may be why Rackham Farris Thompson of Yale Uni-
welcoming its guests versity and Glenn Adamson of
liquid light show as the Victoria and Albert Muse-
talk in. Swirling and um in London. Thompson will
g colors set to the ambi- be speaking about a particular
ounds of underwater tradition of the Yoruba tribe
may make visitors feel in which small twin figures
ike they are at a Jeffer- are carved out of wood in
rplane concert than a memory of the deceased and
y of Art symposium. are said to hold the spirit of
nder" has appeared that person and bring heal-
ous forms and places. ing powers to the family in
h that moment can't last mourning. Adamson exempli-
r, relics of that moment fies his version of wonder with
heir place in history. the "un-pickable" lock that
cholar will emphasize, was crafted in 1784 with a sign
ith their diverse exam- above it reading "the artist
td research of how and who can make an instrument
this feeling has been that will pick or open this lock
ed and transformed shall receive 200 guineas the
t and artifact through- moment it is produced."
Over six decades later, a
locksmith opened the lock
in front of an audience at the
e art world Great Exhibition of 1851 after
16 days at his trade.
:plores the =- Norman Klein, a professor
at the California Institute of
leaning of the Arts, will be conducting an
interactive, multimedia slide-
wonder. show at the symposium. Users
will be invited to use one of
three stations where they will
choose from 2,200 Twenti-
ae. eth Century images including
Strother, a professor of cartoons, photographs, film
n art at Columbia Uni- and ephemera. The project
, will talk about the role demonstrates how different
aditionalAfrican masks objects come to hold not only
n evoking certain feel- individual but collective won-
hat take the audience der and eventually move from
from their immediate, that state into a phase of his-
le world. tory.
sks are just one part "Philosophy begins in won-
formances that unfold der," Doris said. "But it's not
e and space. It is their just philosophy that begins
sent that draws the there. Science, inquiry, aca-
ce into movement - not demics and all things that
to dancing, an interior grab hold of us begin in won-
aent as well. into the der."

e