July 15-21, 2004

artpicks

Nada Thing to Do

by Lori Hill

cabaret

Believe it or not, there won't be a lot of empty-headedness at the ICA's Nothing Cabaret this week. In fact, all of the performers and guests on the Institute's terrace that night will have a lot on their minds — it'll just be a whole lot of nothing. Johanna Plummer, curator of education at the ICA, says she was impressed with the number of artists who offered to participate in the program. Indeed, from shambhala meditation to the Mayan concept of zero, the evening's subjects come from all ends of Philadelphia's creative spectrum. Pretty pictures are provided by the always surprising minds and hands of Jeff Weisner (Abacus Studios and Space 1026), who did all of the graphic design work for the Big Nothing show, and photographer Zoe Strauss, who will show works from a recent project about people and places no longer in existence. Other sweet nothings include a reading by three actors of Samuel Beckett's "Text for Nothing," sleights of hand from magician K.L. Khan, a video project by Matt Suib and dada poetry from Kelly Writers House's Tom Devaney. A remote web presentation by University of Tennessee physics professor Mike Guidry brings a little quantum cosmology to the table, while considerations of "the infinity of inverse nothingness" and "the dangers of dividing by zero" come courtesy of La Salle University physics and math professor Rich DiDio. Experimental art-rock band Bardo Pond performs at 9 p.m. Andy Warhol wraps up the proceedings, or at least his spirit does, with the 1963 16 mm film Sleep (pictured), which is, simply, a man sleeping for five hours. The ICA is encouraging attendees to bring a sleeping bag for the outdoor screening. Big Nothing mastermind and ICA senior curator Ingrid Schaffner will serve as the evening's emcee, and a more perfect guide through the everything of nothingness one couldn't ask for.

Nothing Cabaret, Wed., July 21, 7 p.m.-2 a.m., terrace at the Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St., 215-898-5911.