SEPT 5 Paul Oberst explores the concept of sacred spaces in his new exhibit, “Temples/Locus of Intent,” (which includes “Fury in Babylon” at left) on display beginning tomorrow at the Clifford Gallery at Waterfall Arts on High Street in Belfast. Since 1981, Oberst, a Freedom resident, has been carving, building, painting and printing forms that imitate a temple, or sanctuary of some sort: four sides, a passageway and a chimney structure. Each piece contains text, with words such as “soul,” “spirit” and “shroud” repeated on the exterior and interior, creating the sensation of a glow of color as the words bleed together. Also on display at Waterfall Arts, in the Fallout Shelter Gallery, is “Long Overdue: Book Renewal,” a selection of altered books from the Portland Public Library collection. The exhibit is part of “Renewables,” an altered book project co-sponsored by the Belfast Free Library, Waterfall Arts and the Center for Maine Contemporary Arts. An altered book workshop is set for 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13. Visit www.waterfallarts.org or call 338-2222.
As he himself said, “I depict a sacred space that once was, is now, and will always be. My temples are a locus and a passage for the spirit. They grow from a personal connection to what I perceive as sacred and fundamental to all spirituality.”
New Film Javier Bardem leapt into the public consciousness as the cold-blooded, freakishly coiffed villain Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers’ Oscar-winning 2007 film “No Country for Old Men.” We’re not sure if he took his role in Woody Allen’s new movie “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” because he wanted to work with the Woodster or to make sure that people were aware that he’s actually a very handsome guy that doesn’t like to kill people with a bolt gun. Regardless, Bardem steals hearts in “Vicky,” which plays this week at Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville, and in early October at both Reel Pizza Cinerama in Bar Harbor and the Strand Theatre in Rockland. In the movie, two friends on vacation in Barcelona (Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall) encounter a handsome artist (Bardem) who invites them to come back and look at his paintings, figuratively speaking. What no one knows is that his ex-wife (Penelope Cruz) is about to pay an unexpected visit, sending the trio into an uproar. ‘Barcelona’ has been hailed as one of Allen’s finest films in years, mixing comedy, romance and drama into a fun, frothy stew. The film is rated PG-13, and runs daily at Railroad Square Cinemas. For show times, call 873-6526.