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How Do YOU VIEW South Florida?

WPBT2 Launches Newly Redesigned uVu

WPBT2, Miami’s Public Television, launched the newest version of uVu, their exclusive community video site in March.  uVu, which was developed with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation along with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is unique in the world of public media. uVu is intended to create virtual and physical communities, encourage citizen participation and foster a greater appreciation of local arts and culture, while leveraging the trusted brand of both WPBT2 and PBS. The redesigned site features a brand new homepage, site layout, navigation and URL (www.uvuvideo.org).
The new site adds more focus on social networking and community engagement by allowing users to create their own profiles, add friends, widgets and create a dialog with people; think Youtube meets Facebook wrapped inside the mission of Public Broadcasting. 

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THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISLAND


PossiblityOfAnIsland_0001

MOCA at Goldman Warehouse

12.4.05 – 3.21.09


French Author Michel Houellebecq’s 2005 novel THE POSSIBITY OF AN ISLAND is exhibited at the MOCA at Goldman Warehouse in various art forms from paintings, videos, lights and sculptures. uVu got a first hand look at the exhibition, which poses existential questions in the face of an elusive future and explores the poetic and philosophical sides of science fiction.

Some of the artists involved in this exhibit are Cory Arcangel, Davide Balula, Tobias Bernstrup, Heman Chang, Peter Coffin, Matias Faldbakken, Cao Fei, Kim Fisher, Claire Fontaine, K48, Chris Kraus, Cristina Lei Rodriguez, Nicolas Lobo, Martin Oppel, Philip, Lisi Raskin, Julika Rudelius, and Mungo Thomson.

 Watch the video


OPTIC NERVE X

Jenstarkstreaming Each year the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami showcases new film and video works made by South Florida artists and filmmakers, which push boundaries and expectations. If you missed the screening of this year's selections at Optic Nerve X, watch them all here on uVu. You can see some of last year's entries too.

Did you attend Optic Nerve X? Tell us about your experience.


Patty's Pick: Flock of Seagulls

It was the decade where baby boomers, MTV, Rush Limbaugh, M.A.D.D., D.A.R.E. and the notion of non-smoking were considered fresh and inventive; where the culture was defined by awesome Rubik’s cubes, rad dancewear, episodes of Miami Vice and Michael Jackson music videos. In the year 2008, we used words like “retro” to describe the 1980’s, giving an entire decade a tired, aged feel while retaining nostalgia for its fashion, cultural, political dos and don’ts. Twenty years later, its eccentricity is still palpable.

If you’re lucky enough, the 1980s were part of your past. However the fashion, music, entertainment and changes that form the heart of that generation still beat loudly in the culture of the 21st centuries. From loud colors and legwarmers to pumps and worn jeans, 80s inspired fashion finds its way into the bodies of teens and young adults. Bold and gutsy, 80s-inspired fashion gives one the ability to express themselves at new levels through clothing. Much of the legwarmer/ colorful/ torn jean fashion style is seen most prominently in the South Florida club scene, a usual haven for 80s music.

While 80s music blares out of speakers at night clubs, it is usually in the fashion of mash-ups, remixes and the like. To appreciate true bands, groups and beats from that decade, it is best to do it from the comfort of your own iPod or exciting venues and concerts.

Patty Flock of Seagulls is a band that typifies 80s New Wave and synth-electropop. While their musical career began in the late 1970s, Flock of Seagulls received most of its musical recognition on MTV with the premiere of its widely popular “I Ran (So Far Away)”. Watch as they perform the song that, 26 years ago, got them to the Top 10 category of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks, U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Australian ARIA Singles Chart.

Whether you just don’t want to let go or you appreciate the peculiarities that made up the 80s and like to make them part of today, it is undeniable that the culture that is two decades old has a solid presence in our present. And that fact alone is totally awesome!

What era stereotype of our cultural past do you most identify with? Is it the tech-savvy 21st century? The grungy, simplicity-driven 90s? The eccentric, retro style of the 80s? The progressive, unique notions of the 70s?  The peace-loving, civil rights supporting nature of the 60s? Or the jazzy, mid-century feel of the 50s?

Watch Flock of Seagulls perform "I Ran" in West Palm Beach.


Patty's Pick: Slava’s Snowshow

Patty_2 I rushed into the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts five minutes late and completely frazzled; yet my stressed countenance did little to hide my excitement for the performance I was about to watch. “Watch” cannot describe the action concurrent with such an event. Slava’s Snowshow is an experience!

Walking into a performance that had sold out in Buenos Aires, London, Madrid and New York, I felt lucky to have media passes for opening night reserved for me at the Will Call area. Holding them like I would a much earned prize, I made my way to the doors leading to the Main seating area, which had, for the night, been magically transformed into a portal leading to a night of enchantment and wonder. My excitement could no longer be contained as I made brief conversation with the usher that would lead me to Row P Seat 10. In the 3 minutes that I had to wait for the next available time slot to walk to my seat, she found out more about my artsy passions and reflections on the impending performance than many of my friends could.

I realized I was in for something out of the ordinary as I walked to my seat and found a mound of paper confetti piled up on it. Brushing away the remnants of something fascinating that had occurred during the first ten minutes I was absent, I sat down, expecting the unexpected. Two clowns commanded three stories of captivated spectators, guiding them through the night of enchantment and wonder I had envisioned. I could probably have screamed and had no one take their eyes off of the comedic pantomimes that were being carried out on stage.

“It was a dream. A dream that, on Thursday the 13th, it snowed in the auditorium of the ‘New Opera’ theatre in Moscow. Snow covered the entire floor, all the chairs, and all those who sat in them. A marvelous dream it was.” Slava Polunin, considered the world’s greatest clown, has made his dream a reality, and his reality is far beyond any spectator’s wildest dreams. Watch a quick video as spectators and participants comment on the show’s interactivity, comedy and execution.

Will U go watch Slava’s Snowshow?


Patty's Pick - Miami Beach, USA: Land of Wonder

Patty_2 As I clicked on the “Welcome to Convention Land USA” video thumbnail, I half expected the words “Disneyland ‘59” to escape my computer speakers. It is safe to say that a thumbnail like this is worth more than a thousand words- it is reminiscent of Technicolor film strips and representative of an era long past, where the Nash’s and Bel Air’s filled the streets, the Rat Pack dictated the beats and the hotel industry was putting Miami on the map as a tourist’s topical Mecca.

With the click of a button, a clip seemingly out of a vintage Disneyland preview unfolded, equipped with storybook-type narration set to playful, orchestral music. A time capsule in the form of a 2 minute video, it offers a glimpse into a past quite unlike the Miami Beach we know now- one of skimpy bathing suits, designer everything and higher than high rises.

“Welcome to Convention Land USA” rings the vintage clip, advertising Miami Beach’s mid-20th century budding tourism with their state-of-the-art auditoriums and convention center. Where work and play meet, the video seductively sells the Beach area and its “modern lodging, smooth beaches, picturesque swimming pools and limitless vistas over a dimpling ocean of the deepest blues”. Oh, the days where there was a vista, unperturbed by the 47-floor condominiums.

The Rewind/Fast Forward Film Festival 2008 promises to be an event catered to those who value minute details discovered through historic gems like this video- unearthed bits that make up the unique history of South Florida. Take a trip into Miami Beach’s past and through the web pages of uVu.