SFR Picks—Week of July 21

Bamboo, barefoot, bean fields and Cleopatra’s tears

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Weave Me Like You Do

Last chance to check out TAI Modern’s exhibition of a bamboo art master

“We’d worked with [bamboo sculptor Torii Ippo] for so long, it surprised us we never had a show directly for him, so this is a retrospective,” Margo Thoma, director of TAI Modern, tells SFR. “Even though he passed away in 2011, this is his first solo show in the United States.”

In case you didn’t know, that’s kind of a big deal. Originally, Ippo began working with bamboo to support his family following his father’s death, but what began simply as traditional baskets and tea ceremony articles evolved into complex works of art. In Japan, bamboo is used for myriad utilitarian functions, from furniture to fishing nets, but with his particular brand of artistry, Ippo has become recognized as one of the most celebrated bamboo artists in the world.

And it is not an easy material to work with either—from harvesting the material itself, splitting it and setting it into a dye. The bamboo is then woven into something more recognizable through a process of bending, shaping and knotting. Such a practice requires a lifetime of study and immense patience.

“These are sculptural works, and it’s all very dynamic,” Thoma explains. “There’s a sense of energy and movement inspired by the shapes and feels of waves. The visual impact is pretty strong—it feels so much bigger than the dimensions.”

You’ll find Ippo’s works on display at Tai Modern through Saturday, July 24. (Riley Gardner)

Torii Ippo: 10 am-5pm through July 24th. Free. TAI Modern, 1601 Paseo de Peralta, (505) 984-1387

Your Own Personal Spiritual Nightclub

Listen to your body—but take the concept literally. Every week, movement outfit EmbodyDance Santa Fe hosts what it calls Ecstatic Dance, a thematic series executed through poems, music and other expressions wherein the only mandatory facet is no shoes. Explore your body’s movement and pop off like no one is watching—no right, no wrong; just movement. Afterwards, a voluntary talk-back session allows participants to reflect on the personal experience. It might sound a little foreign to the uninitiated, but perhaps your post-pandemic spiritual awakening is calling for just a moment like this. (RG)

Ecstatic Dance: 6:30 pm Thursday, July 22. $12-15 suggested donation. Railyard Performance Center, 1611 Paseo de Peralta, embodydancesantafe.org

“Uh Yeah, I Did Read the Book First!”

Chances are you’ve heard of The Milagro Beanfield War in some capacity, be it film or book. In film form, director Robert Redford tells the New Mexico-centric story of the fictional town of Milagro (shot in the town of Truchas) as corrupt politicians and corporations try to strip them of their water in order to buy the land out from under them. Some might call it essential New Mexican cinema, and an early film to showcase Latin American magical realism. We just think Ruben Blades is awesome. (RG)

The Milagro Beanfield War: 8 pm Saturday, July 24. Free (but RSVP). Railyard Park, Cerrillos Road and Guadalupe St., ampconcerts.org

For the Old-Minded Minds

Lovers of antiquity, I hope you’ve put down that worn copy of Suetonius and are giving SFR a read for a change. Ancient world studies are addicting, though, and as Santa Fe’s Summer of Shakespeare continues, Billy Shakespeare’s tragedy Antony and Cleopatra finds itself under the microscope. How accurate to history was Shakespeare’s interpretation? Historian, archaeologist and classical scholar Duane W. Roller explains the myths and misconceptions of the play. Come for the factoids and get yourself a dash of theater culture, too. (RG)

Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra: 7 pm Sunday, July 25. Free (donations requested at the door). Shakespeare Reading Room, 3209A Calle Marie, sfsummershakes.org