KQED: Arts & Culture

Festival Report: The Mother Hips Family Hipnic

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT

One tends to get a little suspicious of anything billed as a "new annual tradition," but the First Annual Mother Hips Family Hipnic in Big Sur this weekend, looks like it'd be a welcome alternative to the traditional barrage of patriotic festivities.

Art Review: 3-for-1 at SF Camerawork

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT

The notes from my trip to SF Camerawork last Saturday begin like this: "I'm into the Tom Petty that the desk staff is playing, but not so into Jim Stone."

The Writers' Block: Author, Author?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT

In the second episode of a two-part exclusive, David Sedaris reads "Author, Author?," a story that recently appeared in The New Yorker about the joys of book tours, giant boxes of condoms, and Costco.

Art Review: Lineage: Matchmaking in the Archive

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

A perfect match is an exciting idea, but an elusive reality. The majority of us are more familiar with matchlessness -- stuck with lone socks the dryer can't explain and dating Web sites full of thumbnail portraits looking for their mates.

Mix Tape: Sympathizing with the Summertime Blues -- June 2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT

California pop has always had a moodier side in addition to songs about sand, surf, and fun.

Pop Culture: Video of the Week: Civilization

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Every Monday, the KQED Arts blog features a new Video of the Week to start the work week off right. Avoid that whole death thing and see what hell, purgatory, and heaven look like through the eyes of video artist, Marco Brambilla.

Art Review: Comfort in Clay

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Warren MacKenzie has achieved venerable status as a leading 20th century ceramic artist, yet his work is not high-falutin' art with a capital "A."

Art Review: Fan Ho's Living Theatre

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

For Fan Ho, Hong Kong is a shadow-filled and smoky place, where children grasp what they can of their youth and everyone else toils in placid determination.

Pop Culture: How Michael Jackson Taught Me to Dance

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT

We did a piece inspired by the moves we'd seen Michael Jackson do to "Dancing Machine" on TV. The beginning and end of the dance was done in unison, but the center section was an extended "robot" that I improvised alone.

Film Review: Three Monkeys

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

For moviegoers craving engagement instead of escape, the stunningly acted Turkish domestic drama Three Monkeys is the perfect antidote to the smash-bang-kaboom blockbusters.

The Writers' Block: Just a Quick E-mail

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

In the first episode of a two-part exclusive, David Sedaris reads "Just a Quick E-mail," an unpublished story about the passive-aggressive sister of a paraplegic.

The Bay Bridged: Papercuts

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

This week's podcast profiles Papercuts, the indie rock-pop band led by San Franciscan Jason Quever.

Event: Preview: Battlehooch's Piecechow

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

There may be a chicken-egg debate about whether Battlehooch the identity preceded Battlehooch the band, but I know that the former was definitely what I saw first, as the band's members grabbed the attention of the local music community by attending local shows in packs, dressed in headbands ("Battlerags") emblazoned with the group's name.

Art Review: Once Upon A Book

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT

Not being a kid (or parent) I wasn't sure what an exhibit on children's books might hold for me. But it turns out that the lush worlds from my favorite childhood books were plenty of prerequisite for Once Upon a Book, the current exhibition at San Francisco Center for the Book.

Pop Culture: Video of the Week: Deadline

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Every Monday, the KQED Arts blog features a new Video of the Week to start the work week off right. Bang-yao Liu uses stop-motion animation and an army of colorful post-its to make stressing out about work almost look fun.

Art Review: Becoming Non Object & Just Because There are Questions...

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Our grammar instructs us to be actors, not acted upon, subjects not subjected to. But two current East Bay art shows, Just Because There Are Questions Doesn't Mean There Are Answers at Blankspace Gallery and Becoming Non Object at Hatch Gallery, think differently.

Event: Concert Preview: Sleepy Sun's CD Release Party

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Fresh off a European tour that saw them playing the All Tomorrow's Parties and Primavera Festivals, San Francisco's Sleepy Sun return home Friday, June 19th to celebrate the release of their debut CD Embrace at the Great American Music Hall.

Film Review: Tetro

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT

There was a moment in local film titan Francis Ford Coppola's self-released new movie, not long after its stylish opening credits, when I thought, "Wait: Are we in for two hours of slamming doors and soprano sax? Uh oh."