Voices in the Garden of the Olmsted
By Ana Paulin Gomez
Capital Times Staff Writer
As you walk to the gardens of the
Olmsted building, you will see something
new; seven structures surrounded by little
rocks. You may hesitate to pass this phys
ical barrier, because even though the
rocks are small, they have a presence. But
soon, curiosity will make you enter a
world of white, expressive sculptures.
primitive and abstract style; perhaps it has
an African or an Indian influence. The
seven sculptures are made of white plas
ter. "It shows the rawness of them. It is the
natural way they are," Miller said.
The sculptures are placed in amandala
shape, the Indian symbol of transcen
dence. Six of the structures, together with
small rocks, form a circle. Inside this cir
cle is the seventh sculpture, "Tear Pool."
Miller used a layering technique to
create her structures. "There is a skeleton
underneath" she said. Most of the materi
als she used were from nature (wood,
branches, little rocks and leaves), but she
also used found objects and copper.
Miller's sculptures have deep personal
roots, interests and concerns. "These
seven sculptures are my
meditation. When I am
with them I connect to
them in very personal
ways. They are part
me," says Miller.
An important part of
Miller's work is the public.
"The sculptures are not
complete until someone
sees them, and develops a
feeling towards them,
nobody looks at them, they
are not complete," she
Monday,
Sept. 25,
Stacey
Miller, a
graduate of
the humani
ties depart
ment, exhib
ited
"Surfacing
Voices" at
the north
side of the
Olmsted
building.
The exhibi-
tion has a
Cheap Seats & Sticky Floors
If you really think about it, the dog
show world isn't that much different from
Hollywood. Both are full of glamour,
glitz, trophies and fierce competition.
What sets the two worlds apart though,
are the dogs. Somewhere down the
line, people created a world in
which the dogs are the superstars.
In a show not unlike the Academy
Awards, they are put on pedestals,
paraded around, vying for awards,
and dressed to impress. Now, even
the deepest, most devoted dog
lover must realize in some part of
their soul how absolutely absurd
this is. That absurdity is what fuels
the new film Best In Show, the
uneven, yet funny little satire from
the creators of Waiting For
Guffman.
Best In Show features an all-star
cast of mockumentary clowns
including Eugene Levy, Catherine
O'Hara, Michael Hitchcock, Parker
Posey, and Christopher Guest just
to name a few. The film looks at an
assortment of dogs and their eccen
tric owners as they make their way
to the prestigious Mayflower
een from the roof of the Olmsted building, Miller's instal
lation takes on a maze-like configuration.
"Best in Show"
By Matt Mosley
Capital Times Staff Writer
said." Surfacing
Voices" is a
good example
of captured
thoughts, voic
es and feelings.
It is also a
communication
tool. Don't
wait. Go to the
gardens of the
Olmsted build
ing and
become
involved in the
dialogue.
Kennel Club Dog Show in Philadelphia.
In the process, it is made abundantly clear
that it isn't the dogs who care about win
ning, it's the people, and that's where the
comedy lies. Director Christopher Guest
has definitely solidified his position as
king of the mockumentary. Along with
writing, directing and starring in Waiting
For Guffman, he is also credited with
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film reviews
scripting and acting in the hugely funny
and successful This Is Spinal Tap.
Unfortunately, Best In Show doesn't quite
reach the comedic pinnacle of the other
two.
The film picks up where Waiting for
Guffman left off with highly improvised
dead-pan humor; both look at people who
search for self-importance in trivial, silly
things (Guffman deals with a cast of
characters doing small-town theater
with Broadway sensibility.)
In my opinion, Waiting For
Guffman was one of the funniest films
of the 90s. The whole thing is presented
in low-key, natural humor that you
would miss if you weren't paying
attention.
For the most part, Best In Show uti
lizes this same technique, but it's as
smooth as the Rocky Mountains. There
are ideas that just aren't funny because
they deviate from that natural feel. For
example, two contestants don't have
money for a room, so the hotel clerk lets
them sleep in the maintenance closet. It
doesn't work. If you are mocking docu
mentaries, you have to make it plausi
ble.
In the end, Best In Show is a very
funny, entertaining movie that achieves
what it sets out to do. It just could have
been better.