The "Mahakala" appears merciless. Carrying a diamond thunderbolt staff and wearing a necklace of skulls, he crunches two wiry, screaming figures under his feet. But as flames shoot out from this Tibetan creature's black head, dark blue and green smoke raises up five meditating deities. "The ferocious protector deities are meant to scare away or rid the world of certain evil - such as lust, hate and greed," said Jennifer Casler Price, curator for Asian and non-Western art at the Kimbell Art Museum. "The gruesome scene is symbolic of all the evil in the world, and (Mahakala's) fierceness is a ferocity of compassion." In the Kimbell's latest exhibit, "Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion," tranquil and terrifying images of deities reveal the Buddhist way of subduing human violence and suffering. Sixty tangkas, or painted scrolls, display the Buddha, monks, deities or images of paradise - all which offer a deep look into the human mind.
"You'll find that these are beautifully conceived and orchestrated works," Casler Price said. "The colors, detail and lines are quite decorative, even though they are religious." Walking into the exhibit, one will first see dark red, yellow and green images of the mystical, meditating Buddha "Shakyamuni," radiating a halo of positive energy amid protectors of his teachings (or dharma). The next section is comprised of images of the four major orders of Buddhism, with jolly Santa Clause-like arhat, or teacher, figures and lush Tibetan landscapes. The final room contains magical images of a peaceful, enlightened universe. Robert Thurman, Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and guest curator of the exhibit, said the paintings of the deities, whether gruesome or peaceful, are mini-worlds of transformation. In the seventh century, Thurman said, monks brought the Buddhist religion to Tibet. At the time, Tibetans were rough, nomadic and militaristic people. Faced with the challenge of teaching peace to their people, the monks turned to the power of art. "The art had to stimulate the mind and the imagination of those who were alone and not interconnected," Thurman said. He said in Buddhism the feeling of not being interconnected arises from viewing everything in the world as other and separate from the self. Enlightenment is becoming free from this suffering, he said. "If you think being enlightened is impossible, you are going against your own experience," Thurman said. "Because we have all felt that momentary bliss of being in love, where the boundary of self and other breaks down." Over the course of 1,000 years, the Tibetans were transformed into a peaceful people with a profound vision to cure the entire world of evil, Thurman said. The practice of visualization, as well as chanting and meditation, helped the Tibetan people reach this point, he said. Buddhists could look at a sacred picture of "Shakyamuni" and notice the specific iconography of the figure, Casler Price said. The Buddha, sitting on a lotus pedestal, is giving the mudra , an earth-touching gesture that symbolizes the Buddha's moment of passing the physical world and attaining enlightenment. The bump on his head, or ushnisha, represents his heightened wisdom, while his bare, elongated ears reveal his past as a prince. Thurman said Tibetans can contemplate and enter a painting like the one of "Shakyamuni" and affect a positive inner change. "We can adopt a sense of this other being, so that we can go into our unconscious mind and confront our fears and learn to control them." Donald Rubin, a premier collector of Tibetan art and owner of all 60 works on exhibit, said that viewers of Tibetan art don't necessarily have to be scholars or Buddhists to be touched by the passionate images. "The art deals with emptying the negative aspects of human personality that we all have," he said, remembering modern history's examples of the Holocaust and conflict in Northern Ireland. ". . . It shows the peaceful and wrathful parts of ourselves and makes us deal with them."
Danielle Daniel
By Kristina Iodice skiff staff Time travel has never been easier - just fax yourself through a "quantum foam wormhole" to the distant past that exists in another dimension. Michael Crichton's newest novel, "Timeline," explores not only the historic Middle Ages but also dabbles with the reality of cutting-edge technology. Historians are the unlikely heroes of "Timeline"; once again Crichton gives the adventures to an unappreciated segment of society.
When the project's chief historian vanishes and sends a distress call to 1999 from 1357, the top members of the team are flown to New Mexico for a rescue mission, oblivious to the dangers. They arrive in medieval France, the same location they were excavating long before it crumbled and entered the realm of fairy tales. Within minutes, a band of knights slaughters their "guides" from the present - signaling the start of the longest 37 hours they will ever live. Not only is there a limit of 37 hours that can be spent in the past before the visitor is stuck without a ride back to the present, but life in the middle ages can be fatal. Battles of the Hundred Years War, fights over honor, peasant bandits, mad lords and social guidelines all threaten the survival of the small rescue team. At first, interaction with the past is strictly monitored. Individuals called watchers are sent back merely to observe life and record data in order to help with the reconstruction. However, when the historians are stranded in 1357 as the only hope of rescue for the head historian, they go from observing the past to taking a part in the events that decided the outcome of civil war. The old question of creating a paradox in time is presented - and the answer is rather amusing. It is a fast paced and enthralling book, even if it slightly mirrors Jurassic Park. Like John Hammond's plans for a dinosaur park, Doniger wants to set up a history theme park of sorts, selling it as the real thing. Doniger, however, is driven by greed and desire, and at some points acts as if he is entirely separate from the rest of humanity. He is the most irritating and cruel character Crichton has created, and the most memorable. Of course, characters tell the story, but Crichton's extensive research makes "Timeline" something to think about. The technology and ideas that Crichton uses are not basic knowledge and seem more suited to a scientific journal. This causes some of the ideas to seem contrary, or confusing at best. The size of computers is changing, but the thought of computers built out of single molecules is hard to digest. He takes the concept of quantum physics and plays with it, creating a story that to some extent is outside the realm of science fiction. Time travel is significantly more than hopping into a remodeled tin can and blasting to the past with left over lightning. The reader is forced to rethink, or just forget traditional science fiction. "Timeline" provides a great, although complicated, read and is sure to become a hit movie in the near future. RANKING: ****
Kristina Iodice is a sophomore English and news-editorial journalism major from Rancho Palos Verdes, California and can be reached at (kkiodice@delta.is.tcu.edu).
FIONA APPLE "When the Pawn..." Don't let the lengthy 90-some-odd word title scare you. Fiona Apple's second album "When the Pawn..." reveals her much matured and improved song-writing. Although Apple refuses to acknowledge that more is not necessarily better (note: her excessively long lyrics), the songs on this album are more refined and crafted with the better songs coming in at the end. Girls, grab your tissues because there are some heart-wrenching relationship tunes tossed into this soulful record. RANKING: *** -Angie Chang
ON "Shifting Skin" Failure fans rejoice: Ken Andrews is back! The former vocalist and guitarist for the now defunct band Failure has returned behind the name On. Andrews' debut-solo effort is a collection of songs that are accessible to all. From layered songs to synthesized tracks to pop-like melodies, "Shifting Skin" covers a variety of styles. Andrews produces and performs on this project to create an impressive and powerful album. RANKING: *** -Angie Chang
Cradle Will Rock Susan Sarandon, Bill Murray and John Cusack This movie struck out before it even began. Maybe it was because the lady who sat in front of me was wheezing through a hole in her throat. Maybe it was because the people who sat behind me put their hand on my head to balance themselves every time they got up. Or maybe it was because I just didn't feel like going to a movie that night. But ignore these outside problems, and "Cradle Will Rock" - starring Susan Sarandon, Bill Murray and John Cusack - was still a lousy movie. This 1930s-era film about labor strikes and the Federal Theater Project featured a collection of scenes that skipped back and forth with no sense of reason or purpose. In fact, the only reason I sat through the whole thing was to see how all the loose ends would be neatly tied together in the end. Don't fall for this trick because there is no such conclusion. But the movie did have one redeeming moment - when Tommy Crickshaw (Murray), an alcoholic ventriloquist, attempts to teach two hopeless actors to be ventriloquists. If this hilarious scene had been repeated for two hours, the movie would have been a four-star performance. But since we didn't get to watch them say, "Now who's the dummy?" over and over again, save yourself the $5 and the two hours and don't see this movie. RANKING: * -Laura Head
Play it to the Bone Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas Who is your best friend in the world? Would you fight that person? Would you fight that person for $50,000? Lance Boudreau (Woody Harrelson) and Cesar Dominguez (Antonio Banderas) are presented with that very proposition. When the undercard of Mike Tyson's latest pay-per-view fight falls apart, boxing promoter Joe Domino (Tom Sizemore) has one day to find two fighters to fill the space. Promised that the winner would get a title shot, Lance and Cesar set out for Las Vegas to recapture their dreams with former girlfriend Grace (Lolita Davidovich). Written and directed by Ron Shelton ("White Men Can't Jump," "Bull Durham," and "Tin Cup"), "Play it to the Bone" is more than a boxing movie. Shelton combines a sharply written and funny script with his usual crisp direction to create two hours of fine entertainment. RANKING: *** -Matt Stiver
The following ranking system is based on four stars, four stars being a film or CD highly recommended by the reviewer and one star being a film or CD reviewed as poor quality and unrecommendable. Calendar of events Arte Latino '99 Third annual invitational exhibition selections of university and college student artists. Dec. 7-Feb. 13. African American Museum, 3536 Grand Avenue, Fair Park, Dallas. 214-720-9082.
The Time of Death! This second show in Pegasus Theatre's Y2K Sci-Fi season is now playing. Jan. 6-March 11. 3916 Main St., Dallas. 214-821-6005.
The Return of Beelzebub The Pocket Sandwich Theatre presents this audience-participation comedy-spoof. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. 7 p.m. Sundays. Jan. 6-Feb. 19. 5400 E. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 119, Dallas. 214-821-1860.
Fires in the Mirror This play deals with events which occurred in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn in 1991. Jan. 13-22. Stage West, 3055 South University Drive. 784-9378.
Irving Arts Center Galleries and Sculpture Garden 2000: Year of the Dragon, presented by the Association of Oriental Arts, is on display in the Main Gallery. Jan. 9-23. 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving. 972-252-7558.
The Last Night of Ballyhoo Alfred Uhry's comedy set in 1939 in Atlanta during the big social event of that city's Jewish community. Jan. 12-Feb. 29. Circle Theatre, 230 W 4th St., Fort Worth. 877-3040.
Queen of My Room A Survey of Work by Julie Speed, 1989-1999. Jan. 14-March 15. Dallas Visual Art Center, 2801 Swiss Ave.
Worlds of Transformation Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion. Sacred paintings reflecting Buddhist cosmology from an endangered culture. Jan. 16-March 26. Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. 332-8451.
Casa Mañana celebrates the life and art of this musical legend. 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Jan. 18-23. Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall, 4th Street and Calhoun Street. 332-2272.
Genesis/Physics Art exhibition featuring Artist Ana England. Jan. 18 -Feb. 11. Moudy Exhibition Hall. 257-7643.
Festival of Four Fort Worth Classic Guitar Society. 8 p.m. Jan. 20. Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Center for Performing Arts, PepsiCo Recital Hall. 924-0333
This series of exhibitions promotes artists whose ethnicity is an essential element of their work. Jan. 21-March 3. Dallas Visual Art Center, 2801 Swiss Ave., Suite 100, Dallas. 214-821-2522.
Nordan Scholarship Auditions 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Jan. 22. Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Center for Performing Arts, PepsiCo Recital Hall. 257-7602.
Vision and Movement: Public Art/Public Transit. This exhibition and symposium are intended to provide a forum for a dialogue on some of the issues surrounding Public Art. Jan. 22-Feb. 29. The Gallery at UTA, 700 W. Second St. 272-5658.
To Be Young, Gifted and Black Lorraine Hansberry's literary classic is adapted to the stage. Jan. 21-Feb. 27. Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main St., Fort Worth. 338-4411.
Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show Rodeo, entertainment, rides and food. Jan. 21-Feb. 6. Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3400 Crestline Road, Fort Worth. 877-2420.
Tracing African Roots to America: Similarities and Differences, Paintings and sculpture by U. Crosby is on display in the Carpenter Performance Hall Lobby. Jan. 9-March 26. 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving. 972-252-7558.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The world-renowned troupe that brings an African-American perspective to modern dance stops here. Jan. 24-25. Bass Performance Hall, 555 Commerce St., Fort Worth. 888-597-7827.
Beck 7 p.m. Jan. 26. Bronco Bowl Theater. 888-597-7827.
Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda TCU Opera Theatre with CU Collegeum Musicum and the TCU Symphony Orchestra. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28-29. Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Center for Performing Arts, PepsiCo Recital Hall. 257-7602.
Remember, Honor and Celebrate The Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents this black cultural awareness series. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28-29. Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St., Downtown Dallas. 214-691-7200. |
The tangkas are also aesthetically amazing creations. Made
of cotton or silk, the tangkas span eight centuries and depict Vajrayana
or Tantric Buddhism.
A large team is working on an archeological dig and reconstruction
project in France under the employment of billionaire-genius Doniger. What
they don't know is that Doniger and his scientist have figured out how
to literally "travel" back in time, which is why the company
supplies detailed maps of the restoration site.
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story
Mosaics: Shun Yu Lee
Irving Arts Center Galleries and Sculpture Garden| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |