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Here are our picks for the week of April 2 through 8:
1. National Poetry Month
Mon, Apr 1 - Tues, Apr 30
Every April, schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers and poets throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. This year's theme is letter writing, and the role this intimate act has played in the lives of poets. Check out our list of readings, festivals, book displays, workshops and other events going on in New York City this month.
Today, anyone with a smartphone can create, shape and broadcast a story. But back in the 1970s, an experimental artist collective known as Videofreex used cutting-edge technology of the day--the Portapak--to shoot real-time video and revolutionize social media as we now know it. This free symposium with the original Videofreex (including Skip Blumberg and Parry Teasdale) will include screenings and discussions moderated by SVA's David A. Ross and the Paley Center for Media's Ron Simon.
3. Spectacle: The Music Video at the Museum of the Moving Image
Wed, Apr 3 - Sun, June 16
This is the first museum exhibition to celebrate the art and history of the music video. Spectacle explores the trajectory of the music video from precursors to the present day across a range of musical genres. Original props from iconic music videos such as A-ha's "Take On Me" and OK Go's "This Too Shall Pass" are presented alongside interactive experiences featuring works by Radiohead and Björk.
Within a dance club atmosphere, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim deconstruct Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos. This immersive theatrical event combines dance songs, high-energy choreography and a 360-degree environment to go beyond Imelda's near-mythic shoe obsession and explore the tragic consequences of power.
5. Forces! at Streb Lab for Action Mechanics (SLAM)
Thu, Apr 4 - Sun, Apr 28
Forces! is an onstage action adventure. You get so close to the ingenious hardware, the risk and sweat, you can feel its heft and heat. Experience Streb's Action Heroes in a daring, thrilling live adventure show at their home in Brooklyn. This is a show of flight and impact, physics and courage, powered by pure adrenaline.
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