1. Excursus III: Ooga Booga Opening Program
Institute of Contemporary Art 118 S. 36th St. Sept. 26, 6:30 p.m. www.excursus.icaphila.org/iii Free
Do you go to Penn? Do you like fun? Do you like saying “Ooga Booga” out loud? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, ooga–boogie your way to the ICA on Wednesday. L.A. indie scene darling Wendy Yao is transporting her bookstore, music venue and collaborative art/performance space across coasts. Catch a rare performance by London cult band Freakapuss and doodle on the windows with the participatory drawing group, Sumi Ink Club.
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2. Open Air by Rafael Lozano–Hemmer
Benjamin Franklin Pkwy Opening Celebration: Sept. 20, 7:30 –11:30 p.m. www.openairphilly.net Free
Remember lighting up on the parkway at Made in America two weeks ago? We don’t either. Sure not to cloud your memory, artist Rafael Lozano–Hemmer brings his interactive light installation to the parkway this month. Speak into your phone through a custom mobile app and twenty–four beaming robotic searchlights will move across the skyline to the sound and inflections of your voice. As a plus, Little Baby’s will also be scooping up our favorite Earl Grey Sriracha ice cream.
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3. Enchanted Drawing: Animation Across the Disciplines
Ibrahim Theater at International House Philadelphia 3701 Chestnut St. Screening Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. RSVP at www.ihousephilly.org/events/the-enchanted-drawing Free
If spending your Saturday sitting through the art history department’s conference on animation history doesn’t enchant you, stop by iHouse on Friday night to sample a crowded lineup of animated shorts. Don’t miss “The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer,” an early film from cult surrealist directors The Quay Brothers, whose bizarre–o retrospective is currently up at MoMA—nightmares guaranteed.
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4. In the Artist’s Studio: Eric Fischl in Conversation
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 118 N. Broad St. Sept. 29, 5:30 p.m. Pre–registration is required, Tickets $15
A pervasive sense of dread lurks behind painter Eric Fischl’s chilling representations of suburbia, now on view in a major solo exhibition at PAFA. Join Fischl and PAFA’s director Harry Philbrick in conversation about the artist’s creative process and explore Fischl’s visceral treatment of canvas. This ticketed talk is for those aficionados who want to take a lesson in the fleshy eroticism and ambiguous social tensions that dominate the oeuvre of one of our preeminent contemporary painters.
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5. Angels in America, Parts One and Two
Wilma Theater 265 S. Broad St. On stage until Oct. 21 www.wilmatheater.org $10 Student Rush Tickets
In the mood for some light, easy, popcorn–munching entertainment? “Sister Act: The Musical” comes to Philly April 2013. “Angels in America,” Tony Kushner’s seven–hour 1993 play in two parts, has swept up so many awards that it scoffs in the face of EGOT. Exploring issues of sexuality, religion and politics in relationship to the AIDS epidemic, the play is a cornerstone of the American cultural consciousness. Go see parts one and two together. Bring three five–hour energy shots.
