Local sci fi movie Solatrium showing in Asheville
posted: February 23, 2010
Fresh from its world premiere at the Slamdance film festival in Park City Utah, the locally produced sci-fi short film Solatrium - funded in part by a Media Arts Advantage Fund grant from the MAP - finally screens in Asheville for three nights at the Fine Arts Theater!
Solatrium's Asheville premiere is Thursday, February 2 at 7 p.m. It shows again Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m.
All showings are at the Fine Arts theater in downtown Asheville. Screenings include footage from director Chris Bower's documentary projects We Won’t Bow Down - about the Mardi Gras Indians - and The Holy Ghost Electric, about the soul gospel circuit in the South.
Solatrium is the shortened version of Moon Europa, a feature-length film Bower directed with G. Craig Hobbs. Moon Europa received the MAP's Daniel DeLavergne Media Arts Advantage Fund grant in 2007.
Media Artists: Do you want ultra-fast Google internet here in Asheville?
posted: February 22, 2010
Want Asheville to be a test site for a cutting-edge new Google initiative providing internet connectivity at speeds up to 20 times faster than the fastest connection currently offered to home users in this area?
Google has new plans to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the U.S. The new Google broadband offering will deliver internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to, and will use 1 Gbps (one gigabit per SECOND), fiber-to-home connections.
Google says it will offer this new hyperfast internet service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.
Until March 26, Google asks interested people to provide them with information about their community through a Request for Information (RFI), which Google will use to determine where to build a broadband network.
Learn more about Google's fiber optic broadband plans in the short video here.
As you can probably imagine, lots of local geeks and techies are getting behind this initiative. You can, too:
Offically nominate Asheville as a test site here (requires Google account)
Join a Facebook group supporting Asheville as a Google test city here.
Off the MAP: Ray Johnson afterparty
posted: February 15, 2010
Ray Johnson Afterparty
Bobo, 8:30 p.m., no cover
This month's Off the MAP (a MAP event devoted building community among MAPsters and celebrating the visual arts), is a Friday night afterparty for the Black Mountain College Museum and Art Center's Ray Johnson exhibit kickoff event.
Johnson, the collagist whose art appears at the BMCM+AC from Friday through June 12, has been called the most significant "unknown artist" of the postwar period. He influenced Pop artists including Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, as well as a generation of contemporary artists.
Ray Johnson Show blog with images from the exhibit is here.
From BMC to NYC: The Tutelary Years of Ray Johnson (1943-1967) kicks off with an opening reception 6-8 p.m. Friday Feb. 19 (free for BMCM+AC members and students w/ID /$3 non-members), followed by...
Off the MAP: the Ray Johnson AFTERPARTY
8:30pm, Bobo Gallery, 22 Lexington
8 pm is too early to call it a night if you're already downtown. Walk over to Bobo (just a few blocks from the BMCM+AC) for wine, catered treats from Filo Pastries, spoken-word performances by Graham Hackett & Poetix Vanguard, plus multimedia/projection/interactive video fun from MAPsters Gene Felice, Scott Furr and Megan McKissack.
Lube Royale premieres new short film
posted: February 12, 2010
Local noise-rockers Lube Royale-- an underground percussion outfit including Rob Westmore, Dougal Bailey, James Owen, Hal Millard and others -- is known for creating a spectacle (even by Asheville standards) through costumes and theatrics.
In a rare live show, the band provides live accompaniment to the premier of its new short film, Tall and Pink. Tall and Pink, of course, involves a vampire, a bunny and a snowman.
The Lubesters also show their short film Wealthy Infant Lung, also with live soundtrack. After the show, ignore the snow and stick around for a dance party with DJ Bunny Buhto until 2 a.m..
TED fans: 2010 TEDx Teams Need PAID Videography Help and Volunteers
posted: February 3, 2010
photo of TEDxAVL 2009 by Jason Sandford
Sponsored by the TED conference but independently organized by local people, TEDxAsheville returns in 2010 after rave reviews and a sold-out show last summer at the Orange Peel. And it returns with double the fun: 2010 marks the debut of TEDxNextGenerationAsheville, a new event where young people present visions, passions and ideas for the future to an audience ready to be inspired.
As fan-organized, Asheville-centric events, TEDxAsheville and TEDxNGA bring homegrown great ideas and virtuoso performances to a local stage, sharing Asheville's most exceptional talent (of all ages) with the whole world through digital recordings of the day's performances.
VIDEOGRAPHERS NEEDED!
TEDxAVL and TEDxNextGen are taking proposals for videotaping this year's events. A paid videography team will record all talks and performances, edit them, and upload them to the TEDxTalks YouTube channel.
All videos are hosted online indefinitely on the TEDxTalks channel, and all are considered for broadcast as a TED talk on TED.com.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Other than the videography team, TEDxAVL 2010 and TEDxNextGen are largely run on volunteer efforts. Volunteer organizers are needed in the following areas.
If you are interested or know someone who might be, send email to TEDxAVL@gmail.com and indicate which area interests you.
Stay tuned for information on the nomination process for 2010...
Both TEDx groups seeks help in the following areas:
Found Footage Fest a SMASH!
posted: February 3, 2010
This weekend's Found Footage Fest was a smash, and feedback so far tells us it was "spectacular" and "hilarious." Nearly 250 film fans braved ice, snow and cold for the show at the Grey Eagle, and we all had so much fun that sponsors (including the MAP) are already talking to FFF hosts Nick and Joe about a return engagement this summer.
Thanks to everyone for supporting the MAP and local indie businesses Orbit DVD (West) and TV Eye (downtown)! Nick and Joe, thanks for braving the snow with your crappy vids. We salute you.
