PREVIOUS ISSUES : CULTURE Last Updated: April 9, 2008 - 1:11 PM   SFR Picks: March 5-11 By SFR Staff Published: March 5, 2008   Email this article   Printer friendly page   WEDNESDAY  Photo credit: Claire L Evans The Ship Has Sailed As one-half of the pop super group The Blow, Portland resident Jona Bechtolt secured his reputation as the beat-making mad scientist behind the scenes. His ability to marry electronic dance music with hip-hop-influenced rhythms produces a flawless union for his most recent project, YACHT. YACHT breezes in with infectious instrumentation, juicy beats and clever lyrics, then sails away into the electronic abyss. Deeply appreciated by the art community, the multimedia manipulator was commissioned to perform at the New Museum of Contemporary Arts and the Museum of Modern Art, both in New York, and The Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts. All this and he has fans such as Devendra Banhart, Architecture in Helsinki and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. After a self-imposed artistic exile in Marfa, Texas, Bechtolt is back on his “On Tour Forever” adventure in support of his latest release, I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real. (Kyle Eustice) FRIDAY  Digitally Enhanced Gone are the days when gallery-goers were subjected to the whims of a curator’s aesthetic tastes. In an innovative move that makes the viewer the boss, four New York artists came up with the Perpetual Art Machine (PAM)—a Web site, computer system and installation exhibition that focuses on audience participation. With a huge database of digital videos from a MySpace-like community of video artists, PAM’s interfaces let participants use keywords to choose videos they want to see. Up to 16 videos then appear on a huge projection screen that allows the viewer to choose individual works. PAM gives viewers access to thousands of videos, and gives hundreds of artists a high-profile venue in which to display their works—certainly better than getting lost in the YouTube shuffle. The first major project to combine major forms of communication for this pixel-obsessed 21st century, PAM has traveled to more than 10 countries and has gained worldwide recognition for its dream of bringing art to the masses—no double-click required. (Charlotte Jusinski) FRIDAY Slave to Salvation Perú Negro formed 30 years ago, but traces its heritage to the 1600s and the arrival of African slaves in Peru. The group emerged from the civil rights movement, which complemented the Black Power struggle in the United States, as a way to preserve African culture in Latin America. Perú Negro’s 22 singers, dancers and musicians recreate the folkloric history of their ancestors and combine unique elements of the region such as cajon (box drum), Latin percussion of various types and zapateo, a Peruvian style of virtuosic tap dance. Considered Afro-Peruvian, the group integrates African djembe, Cuban drums and the wooden batajon, instruments mostly unknown to today’s North American pop wonders. Perú Negro was originally made up of 12 family members, and founder Ronaldo Campos de la Colina directed the group until his death in 2001. His son, Jamie Ronaldo Campos Ponce, or “Rony,” now conducts the new revival. (Angelo Jaramillo) SATURDAY  Courtesy Lorraine Ciancio In Search of Lost Memory Natalie Goldberg, celebrated author of Writing Down the Bones, releases her latest examination of the essence of writing. Goldberg opens Old Friend from Far Away with an illuminating definition that challenges the traditional memoir format. She writes, “There is nothing stiff about memoir. It’s not a chronological pronouncement of the facts of your life.” Hence, she begins an informational compendium of how to write down remembrances despite resistance, inertia and other creative calamities that confront those who sit down to write. Goldberg says moments and memories are what many of today’s Americans are eager to record. Memoirs are no longer just for the old-timers who want to document their existence. Filled with insight, wit, soul and suggestive writing exercises, Old Friend effortlessly wrestles what we envision from the past with unconscious imaginings written down as beautiful words in memoriam. (AJ) © Copyright 2000-2008 by the Santa Fe Reporter Save This Page to del.icio.us Top of Page