In lieu of my usual post covering one event or idea, today I report on a few creative events that filled the weekend.  These included a slightly controversial capture the flag game pitting U.S. against Al-Qaeda, the Future Classic Festival featuring art (including my own) in the nontraditional setting of a music festival, and the reggae musical performance of The Harder they Come at the Performing Arts Center.

        Friday night (September 11^th) many ventured into the Little River Neighborhood for a game of Capture the Flag, albeit a more militant version of the adored childhood pastime.  The game was organized by young architect/ artist Cassidy Fry, who dedicated the game “to those at war”. Participants included art scene favorites Tom Hollingworth (creator of artlurker.com), Richard Haden (sculptor), Aiden Dillard (creator of movie Death Print), and Sleeper (NWSA artist), among many others.

       Instead of traditional flags, Fry vied for the substitution of effigies for the U.S. and Al-Qaeda teams, modeled after Obama and Osama respectively.  Set in a gnarly pricker and sticker infested property to the right of the Little River and along the railroad tracks, one felt very troop-like, crawling military style through the itchy and often tall grass to capture the other side’s symbolic leader, all while attempting to evade the capture of oneself.  Richard Haden claimed (with supporting evidence below) that he set a python loose there months before, finding it on his nearby driveway.  Luckily, nobody ended up like Laocoon and his sons (as seen above in first image).  Haden’s remark of “at least pythons aren’t poisonous” brought some comfort.

       However one american troop was sliced by a piece of metal when trying to capture an Al-Qaeda terrorist climbing over the Little River’s dam, which necessitated many stitches to the leg.  This ended the game, and whether there was a winning side was left unclear, as was the clarity of it’s satire.

        Saturday I was a participating visual artist in the Future Classic Festival, which took place in Wynwood’s Soho Studios from Saturday afternoon till early Sunday morning.  It was an honor to have been chosen the week before by artist/event organizer Luis Valle, who organized the art component of the festival.  The focus of the festival were the music performances, including N.E.R.D. (Pharrel’s group) and the Spam All Stars, among many others. 

       My inclusion in a festival with the art as a secondary focus allowed my work to be viewed by people who weren’t the typical audience of artwalks or museum openings, but embracers of a more popular culture.  In addition to interning at Knight Foundation, as an artist, I tend to steer away from making my work clearly for the art crowd, but rather assessable to all.  I feel that art that has resonance with anyone having just a little patience and an open mind can overall have a deeper level of meaning and effect on society.  The one downside of showing hung artwork in a music festival is the tendency for work to fall off the wall from the vibrations.  I was constantly having to rehang things.  Luckily, I didn’t have glass and frames, which unfortunately another artist did have, only to see them fall, split and shatter.

       Showing my work in this type of setting allowed me to have a valuable glimpse of this sort of audience’s reaction to it, and was an experience that I would never have if I only showed in galleries like most professional fine artists.  Not to be overly self promotional or anything, but if one has an interest, feel free to view dylanterry.com .  Another artist that was showing there whose work I particularly admire is Reinier Gamboa.  Below is some of what he does, unfortunately the image doesn’t capture many of the details that make his work so special.  But there is one picture that does offer some detail.

       Sunday I had the opportunity to see the reggae musical classic The Harder they Come.  Being a long time fan of the 1973 movie and soundtrack starring musician turned actor Jimmy Cliff (seen below), I couldn’t turn down the chance to see it here.  Overall I found the performance to be highly uplifting, telling the story of a young Jamaican man’s quest to achieve his dream for success and fame as a musician, only to be shot down shortly after achieving his dream for both the right and wrong reasons.  It bears truth on the nature of the human spirit and the injustices imposed by society that quell one’s aspirations.

       The performance’s music may have been better than the original soundtrack of the movie, which was all performed live by the actors and band on stage.  Following the stories end, the performance included a number of encore numbers by the cast that called for the audience’s participation singing and clapping.  Overall, it is an epic tale that I would recommend to anyone.  If you can’t see the play or the movie, at least hear the soundtrack.