First Friday Focus

Lori Hill's First Friday Hit List

by Lori Hill

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Published: Mar 4, 2009

Chemical Heritage Foundation

In a move that would make Seymour and Audrey smile, the Chemical Heritage Foundation is showcasing hungry carnivorous plants. And not solely with visual representations — they've got the real things. "sLowlife" is a traveling multimedia exhibition courtesy of the United States Botanic Garden, the Chicago Botanic Garden and Roger Hangarter of Indiana University that explores the often ignored, largely unnoticed maturation of plants. Through time-lapse photos and short movies, the show captures what we miss when walking past the plants in our lives. Turns out, we miss a lot: cut tulips in a vase perking and rising, gaping and closing, sighing and falling through their short, happy lives; sunflower and corn seedlings stretching and swaying in their devotion to light; the even more invisible lives of roots, quietly taking hold of their homes in the soil. (Check out the companion site, plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/usbg, for a sneak peek — but it's not a substitute for seeing the real thing.) CHF has added its own twist to "sLowlife" that gives it even more cred among plant lovers: Thanks to two local gardeners, 2004 Flower Show winner Martha Miller and chemist/carnivorous plant enthusiast Joe Rucker, First Friday visitors will witness terrarium-enclosed insect eaters and Venus flytraps chowing down on bugs. "What little kid can resist plants that eat bugs?" asks Rucker, who got hooked on bloodthirsty plants by seeing them in the Pine Barrens when he was young. "I still think they're really cool." Rucker and Miller will be on hand to discuss their fascination with the plants and answer questions. Rucker seems particularly excited about sharing the plants live with the public, as an enhancement to the photos and films. "The nice thing about carnivorous plants is that some of them don't require time-lapse photography; you can see them in action right before your very eyes." Opening Fri., March 6, 5-8 p.m. (plant feedings, 6 and 7 p.m.), through Dec. 31, 315 Chestnut St., 215-925-2222, chemheritage.org.

Pentimenti Gallery

In a similar vein, Laura Bell's small-format paintings explore organic ideas and mimic the replicating nature of living organisms. In "Aggregate," Bell freezes these forms in ink, watercolor and spray paint, taking inspiration from the tiniest of places (microscopic slide images of anthrax and the Ebola virus) and the furthest depths (Hubble photographs of constellations and nebulae). Starting with a mark here, a bubble there, Bell allows the next steps to mutate like the subject matter, doubling up and shifting as the work progresses. There's nothing cold or scientific about the paintings, however. They drip and run, and the artist's hand is always apparent in the meticulous patterning and in the application of one color against another. Showing concurrently at Pentimenti, Matt Haffner looks at those microscopic forms in the aggregate — human beings living out their lives in city streets and alleys. But something's not quite right: People look tense, even scared, as they jump rope, ride motorcycles and walk down the street with empty gazes, pursed lips and furtive glances behind their backs. Haffner takes his inspiration from the streets of Philly, New York and Atlanta, layering Mylar and ink drawings on photographs, creating a ghostly past-versus-present dichotomy. Opening reception Fri., March 6, 6-8:30 p.m., through April 11, 145 N. Second St., 215-625-9990, pentimenti.com. (For more on Haffner, see Agenda.)

And Then There's ...

Artists' House Gallery has a quiet little show in response to the Art Museum's Cézanne exhibition (wait, is it 1996?). In "Back to Cézanne," artists get all inspired by the Impressionist, giving their own take on misty landscapes and carefully arranged still lifes. Look for standouts Abby Heller-Burnham, Renee Foulks and Patrick Crofton for the most modern, captivating works. Opening receptions Fri., March 6, 5-8:30 p.m., and Sun., March 8, 1-4 p.m., through March 29, 57 N. Second St., 215-923-8440. ... Continuing at West Philly's Sam Quinn Gallery is "Silent Spaces," a triple show with Daniel Oliva, Rika Hawes and Elysa Voshell, inviting us to sit back and listen to the world around us. It's the artistic equivalent of putting on blinders, the creative answer to living in the moment. As winter trudges on, it's an approach worthy of consideration. Through April 19, 4501 Spruce St., 267-408-5769.

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