DTH Omnibus Page 9
Thursday October 1, 1992
AH
Surrealist,
Jasper Johns
Through November 15
Wednesday-Friday 1 2-8 p.m.
Saturday 10a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
Free Admission
For information, call 966-5736
"" asper Johns' art stomps all
J" over anyone who has ever
j I looked at modern art and
I I said, "I could do that."
4LmJ Johns, a pioneer of con
ceptual art, is a modern classic. "Prints
and Multiples," a group of works cur
rently on display at the Ackland Art
museum, covers his most familiar
themes.
The works contain symbols such as
United States flags, targets, numerals,
letters and household objects. As in
Andy Warhol's "Soup Cans," it is diffi
cult todivorce form from cultural mean
ing. "Grey Alphabet" is a grid of sten
ciled letters arranged so they are in
alphabetical order when the rows are
read horizontally or vertically. Subtle
gray strokes wash over this structured
composition, forming intricate, grace
ful patterns.
The work illustrates the codifica
tion of language a system organized
by rules, whose beauty comes from slight
variations within the system.
Other works, with the help of those
funky optical illusions you used to play
with at the science museum, rvist in
terpretation of common symbols.
"Flags" shows a U.S. flag with black
stars on an orange field and green and
Boston's babelicious Beelzebubs steal show from Loreleis
The Loreleis
with The Clef Hansers, The
Beelzebubs, lady Blue, Out of the Blue,
Phantom Singers, Tar Heel Voices,
Speak of the Devil
Friday and Saturday, Sept 24 and 25 at
the Paul Green Theatre
he Loreleis may have lured
f thesell-outcrowds.butYan-
r kee Beelzebubs stole their
I hearts and the show.
" On Friday and Saturday,
September 25 and 26, the Loreleis
hosted their second independent invi
tational a cappella concert. The con
cert included groups from Duke Uni
versity, Boston's Tufts University ,
Georgetown University and, of course,
UNC.
"Sam I Am! We're Having A Jam!"
played to sell out crowds in Paul Green
Theatre Friday and Saturday nights. It
was so packed Friday night that people
were sitting in the walkways and lining
the back wall.
By far the best group at this concert
was a pack of ultra-adorable guys from
Boston, the Beelzebubs. From the mo
ment these guys bounded on stage (even
the dude with the crutches) until the
moment they sang the very last note,
they held the attention of everyone in
thetheater.
pop art influence Johns' Ackland show
EMMA WILLIAMS
black stripes. There is a white dot in the
center of the flag. Below it is a lightly
shaded rectangle with a black dot in the
center.
Viewers are supposed to stare at the
white dot for two minutes and then
focus on the black dot because of
optical illusion, viewers see a red, white,
and blue United States flag.
Through all his works, Johns fosters
a partnership with the viewer.
"Viola" looks like a chaotic building
plan. An open trap door is superim
posed with a diagram labeled A and B.
To the right of the trap door, a rubber
band attaches a spoon (labeled A) to a
fork (labeled B). Stamped across the
bottom, the word "viola" suggests that
the contraption is some sort of
unassembled musical instrument. The
work's cluttered, unfinished feel makes
the viewer want to organize the work
and mentally assemble its pieces.
In "Fool's House," a realistically
drawn broom sweeps across flat gray
space. Cartoonish lines indicate the
broom's motion, and scrawling hand
writing labels it. Below the broom are
three shapes, labeled stretcher, towel
and cup.
The explicit labeling seems to be
telling a story that has been hastily
started and then left unfinished. The
style borrowed from Magritte actively
and humorously recruits the viewer's
assistance.
A more obvious example occurs in
"Target ( 1970) ," which is simply a drawn
black and white target. Beneath it are
unused paints and a paintbrush.
SALLY STRYKER
Not only were these impeccably
dressed singers brimming over with so
much energy that it spilled out the
doors, they were incredibly funny, too.
Each song they sang employed a per
sonalized quirk, i.e., a pelvic thrust or a
hearty "Huh!" in just the right place
which brought the audience to life.
The Loreleis were less raunchy but
still hip hoppin'. They opened with a
really beautiful song, written just for
them, "What You Don't Know About
Love." They also stole old pop hits,
such as "In the Air" by Phil Collins and
"I Want You Back" by the Jackson Five,
which closely mimicked the original.
The Loreleis always entertain their
audiences with more than their sing
ing. Throughout the concert, a few
Loreleis introduced each group with
adapted versions of Dr. Seuss poems.
(You were beginning to wonder about
the concert name, weren't you?)
The first group to perform on Friday
night was Duke's all-female group, Out
of the Blue. The highlight of their per
formance was a medley of "Love the
One You're With," also performed by
the Tufts' Beelzebubs.
. . The Tar Heel Voices followed with
.a not-so-energetic round qf songs, with
KitB AND MULTIPLES
The work of 'modern
Beside the artist's signature is the
word "and" and a blank line, presum
ably awaiting the signature of the per
son who will pick up the paintbrush and
color the target.
"Usukuyi," "The Dutch Wives" and
several untitled works are all purely
abstract, comprised of crosshatched
the exception being "Only the Good
Die Young," led by Lee Keel, and the
audience fave, "Makin' Whoopie."
A small fable about barnyard ani
mals at State seemed to be the biggest
hit of the Heels' performance. The story
involved some hearty bulls who with
stood a storm and proclaimed their
weathered success with the statement,
"We bulls wobble, but we don't fall
down." A little comy, but amusing.
Duke's Lady Blue followed the
Voices; for a fledgling group, they were
great. One woman had enough spunk
and enthusiasm to make up for the
body
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classic' Jasper Johns will be on exhibit
straight-angled lines. The lines are fit
ted together to create textural unity
that is brimming with energy, particu
larly effective in "Untitled (Savarin
EM.)."
In the foreground of this print is a
still life of a Savarin coffee can filled
with paintbrushes. The still life is not
whole group, singing a perfect rendi
tion of "Tracks of My Tears." It hit
home with the audience, especially at
the end, when everyone expected a
repeat of the chorus but instead heard
her belt out, "You fucking bastard, eat
shit." Pretty nifty reality check, huh?
Saturday night's performance in
cluded the UNC Clef Hangers,
Georgetown University's Phantom
Singers and Duke's Speak of the Devil.
For die-hard Loreleis fans: The group
recently put out a new tape called On
the Rocks, which is available through
the Loreleis business office in the Stu-
t-hirt WJ?
mm
1 1 . cap9
v IIP! fe:". I
through November 15
distinctive, nor is the black-and white
rendering of it.
The strongest element of the com
position is the bold red arm and hand
print that runs across the bottom. The
combination of these two subjects un
derscore the beauty of personal expres-
dent Union.
Don't let the sirens' mythological
reputation scare you away the next time
these la la ladies take the stage. Their
luring lyrics and whimsical repartee are
bound to make an evening full of fun
and music and nothing all that deadly.
CHMCfPEWW
TATTOOING
W. WEAVER ST.
CARRB0RO.N.C.275I0
. TOES-SAT T-8 PM
BY APPOINTMENT ONUf