by Geneva Gámez-Vallejo
Inscription: A Monumental Installation by Shinpei Takeda is the new exhibition presented by the New Americans Museum at NTC Liberty Station. The large scale installation seeks to trace the complex relationship between monuments of memory and living narratives through inscription of the past and living recollections of presence into a threaded art piece that is 50 feet large.
Shinpei Takeda is a visual artist and filmmaker whose work evokes dialogue based primarily on historical events, immigration and the impact these have on our memory as individuals and a society. He is Founder and Creative Director of The AJA Project, a non-profit dedicated to working with resettled refugee children in San Diego and displaced youth in Colombia and Thailand through participatory photography. Takeda has received dozens of awards and his work has been featured internationally.
The New Americans Museum invited Takeda to create Inscription on site as a participatory and process-driven installation; weaving together the voices of participants and juxtaposing these as a visual piece against the highly manicured and heavy historical presence of a former military complex, a monument in it’s own right, San Diego’s former Naval Training Center. The massive installation is made up of enough thread to stretch out over 54 miles, roughly the distance between the San Diego and Tijuana border as well as Camp Pendleton. It could easily wrap around the NTC Liberty Station site 25 times. Woven together as both individual narratives and communal space making, it invokes dialogues of shared traumas of displacement, and the possibility of collective healing through the activation of memory and the performative ritual of a monumental weaving. The installation serves as an intervention which includes 113 poems of arrival from public submission. “The initial plan was to select 10 poems to incorporate into the installation, but as this is after all, a site specific installation, and an art intervention that explores memory and narrative as a way to activate monuments and create presence, once read, all poems had become a part of the space” said Exhibition Curator Leticia Gómez Franco.
An opening reception with a special talk by Shinpei Takeda will take place Friday, Nov. 6 from 5 -8 pm followed by a commissioned musical performance by Ghost Magnet Roach Hotel, all this during NTC’s Friday Night Liberty Celebrations. Event is FREE. The New Americans Museum is located at NTC/Liberty Station, 2825 Dewey Road, San Diego, CA 92106.
MOVIES
The 16th Annual Asian Film Festival: Thursday, Nov. 5 -14 Tickets for SDAFF can already be purchased at the Ultra Star Mission Valley Cinemas box office. Be sure to check out the film line up at www.festival.sdaff.org as well as to inquire about special events surrounding the festival throughout the county.
Digital Cinema: Friday, Nov. 6 -12 Time Out of Mind is a haunting look at life on the streets immersing viewers in one man’s daily quest to survive. Richard Gere plays a homeless man who bonds with a new friend (Ben Vereen) at New York’s Bellevue Hospital while trying to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter played by Jena Malone. For showtimes and ticket sales visit www.digitalgym.org/time-out-of-mind/
EXHIBITIONS
Art San Diego Contemporary Art Show: Thursday, Nov. 5 -8 This event showcases over 50 leading international and national galleries. In addition to the gallery booths, special features include gallery-curated exhibitions, contemporary furniture design, art talks and performances. At Balboa Park Activity Center, tickets $10 -$85.
LECTURE/TALK
Visiting Artist Talk: Friday, November 6, at 5:00pm Tijuana based artist Daniel Ruanova will be presenting his work and insights as an interdisciplinary artist and gallerist navigating the contemporary art scene in three countries. Open to the public. SDSU Main Campus: School of Art + Design 5500 Campanile Drive Art Room 412 San Diego, CA 92182
FOOD, BEER & WINE
13th Annual San Diego Brewers Guild Festival: Friday, Nov. 6 & 7 Rub elbows with some of San Diego’s award-winning brewers and see why San Diego beer is taking over palates everywhere. This exclusive event will showcase San Diego’s finest, rare, and specialty beers from local breweries, including offerings brewed just for the festival. At the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego. www.sdbw.org/guild-festival
San Diego Beer Week: Friday, Nov. 6 -15. The San Diego Brewers Guild presents its 4th Annual Beer Week with over 500 beer events happening throughout the county. More info. at www.sdbw.org
Fall Food Truck Festival: Saturday, Nov. 7 11 am -4:30 pm Some of the tastiest food on wheels will be making a grand stop at the Fall Food Truck Festival. Enjoy a variety of some of the hottest eats from San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles as 40 food trucks are expected, all in one location, with gourmet chefs serving their eclectic bests at super prices (most items $6-$8). At the Del Mar Fairgrounds (Seaside Concert Area) Free Admission to the Food Truck area with paid racetrack admission ($6 for adults), 18 and under enter free.
MUSIC
Miguel Bosé: Sunday, Nov. 8 at 8 pm. The Spanish artist will perform at Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, San Diego State University. Ticket prices range between $25 and $105 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.
Looking ahead
San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, Nov. 15 -22 The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is an international showcase of the world’s premier wines and spirits, culinary personalities, and gourmet foods.
69th Annual Mother Goose Parade, Nov. 21 The Mother Goose Parade is San Diego’s East County’s annual holiday kick-off celebration featuring whimsical floats, clowns, bands and equestrians. Free
San Diego Jazz Fest, Nov. 25 -29 The 36th San Diego Jazz Fest over Thanksgiving will present a variety of Jazz bands and musicians from across the U.S. $20 -$50
First Wednesdays: Combo Libertad Dec. 2 Let Combo Libertad take you back to the streets of Old Havana with the traditional tres and tresillo, as well as congas, timbales, trumpet, trombone, and bass. GA Free.