Plum Viewing
Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to enjoy online.
Hello lovely readers. We’re back on a Friday. Despite once again being a crazy week, thankfully I managed to squeeze in the writing of Plum in a more timely manner. And, too right!
Here are this week’s picks:
Cliff House, San Francisco’s iconic 157-year-old restaurant with breathtaking ocean views, closed in 2020. It marked the end of an era. Truly. But, with a new exhibition from FOR-SITE Foundation, this historic building is getting a new lease of life. Titled Lands End, it features a group of international artists showcasing the fragility of the planet through photography, film and found objects. Given that COP26 is wrapping up and climate change is very much the topic of conversation (as it should be), this is a powerful staging and a must see. It is open until March 2022 and Guardian has captured many of the images beautifully. We can see for ourselves here.
The Green Space in NYC opened its door this week to live audiences for the first time in nearly two years. And, who better to have performed to mark this wondrous occasion than renowned pianist Lang Lang. Pure heaven. Here’s a link to Lang Lang’s performance and his conversion with host Jeff Spurgeon. And, because there is no such thing as too much of this glorious music, here is Lang Lang’s 2019 performance, also at the Greene Space in 2019. Enjoy!
The National Ballet of Canada is back with Crystal Pite’s beautiful and powerful Angels’ Atlas. Pite is one of Canada’s most revered choreographers, creating more than 50 works for companies including Paris Opéra Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 1, Ballett Frankfurt, and Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. She brings such a gorgeous combination of elegance and athleticism to her work, which as an audience member is so satisfying. Longtime Plum readers might remember Revisor, which Pite co-created with Jonathon Young, a breathtaking work about trauma and grief that The Guardian called “our best show of the 21st century.”
For those of you lucky enough to be in or around Toronto, to enjoy it live, Angels’ Atlas runs from Nov 11 — Nov 27 and you can reserve a ticket here.
For those of us not able to enjoy it in person, we can at least get a better understanding of Pite’s inspiration for this performance. Pite spoke with Tom Powers on CBC’s Q program.
And, let’s enjoy a teaser of the Angels’ Atlas performance here.
Looking for something new to listen to as you explore your city streets? Well, fret no more because Vancouver’s Art Club just launched a new audio series and The Cull is the first in this series. Written by Michele Riml & Michael St. John Smith, it is a new drama, which is streaming from November 4, 2021–July 4, 2022. Here’s the premise: “Emily and Lewis are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary with their best friends. While a forest fire rages out of control in the local mountains, the conversation around the dinner table turns many corners: catching up on family events, reminiscing about their teenage years, and debating about what it means to be a “good person.” But when an unexpected gift turns the seemingly civil conversation about the local wolf cull into a fierce personal argument, a secret is revealed that threatens the stability of the “pack,” turning this particular dinner party into a night of eat or be eaten.” Now this will make your dog walk a little more fun, no?! Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.
To end, now this is an exhibition we never knew we needed but boy oh boy, now that we have it, you can believe it will be enjoyed! Huddersfield-based eccentric record collector Steve Goldman, is sharing his bizarre collection of 200 awful LP covers in ‘Worst Album Covers‘. How has no one thought of this before?!
Whilst it might not be worth the trip to Huddersfield in the UK (although I could make a good case for this!), thanks to the Guardian, we can join some of the best “worst” covers here.
Enjoy!!
Ok, that’s it. See you next week!
And, an ask: While we’re enjoying these wonderful performances, let’s remember that for the arts organizations producing this incredible content, this is their livelihood; not a hobby. If we can, now is our time to continue to support our incredible arts community!
And, if you’d like to receive Plum Viewing weekly, send me a note at maggiefairs@gmail.com and I will add you to my mailing list.