THIS WEEK: A SELECTIVE GUIDE

THE CATWALK, LORCA, AND SELECTED SHORTS | April 28th 2008

Image Gallery, Somerset House

Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE

Our guide to what's on around the world, compiled by Ariel Ramchandani

GOYA RESTORED

Francisco Goya's genius was always laced with something sinister. As a court painter, he lent his portraits a subtle brutality, painting his subjects with blank eyes and double chins. Later, after two serious illnesses that left him deaf and gloomy, and as Spain's politics grew bloody and grim, Goya's work grew darker, his subjects grittier, cast in shadow. He crafted furiously energetic etchings of men pulling each other apart, showed gods full of bloodlust, and painted "Flight of the Witches", with its gruesome depiction of super-natural weightlessness against an inky-black background. The picture appears alongside two of Goya's most iconic works,"The Second of May 1808" and "The Third of May 1808", which have been cleaned and restored to mark the 200th anniversary of the Spanish War of Independence (the Peninsular war). These works lie at the centre of a sweeping chronological show of Goya's paintings, drawings and etchings from 1795 to 1819. (From Intelligent Life magazine, Spring 2008)

GOYA IN TIMES OF WAR, April 15th to July 13th, Madrid

DINNER AND A MOVIE

There's something for everyone at this year's Tribeca Film Festival in downtown New York City. The international programme runs the gamut, from a documentary about high-school students in Baghdad to a short film about a rabbi in the midst of an existential crisis. Horror fans will delight in the bloody camp of the "Midnight Section", while the "Discovery Section" will introduce viewers to new talent. Look out for "Elite Squad", an award-winning film about police corruption on the streets of Rio de Janeiro by Jose Padilha, Brazilian director. There's also new work from Harmony Korine and Guy Maddin, and a documentary called "The Chicken, the Fish and the King Crab"--a suspenseful tale of Spanish chefs vying to win the Bocuse d'Or culinary competition.

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, April 23rd to May 4th, New York

LIKELY BEDFELLOWS

What does it look like when fashion and architecture intersect? Skin+Bones, a stunning new show at the new Embankment Galleries of Somerset house, makes the case that the two disciplines have been cross-pollinating for decades (some will argue centuries). "I see no professional difference in designing garments you wear and objects you use," explained Thomas Heatherwick, a London architect, to Time Out London. "They are one connected thing." Work from over 50 brand-name designers and architects--including Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry--illustrate shared ideas and materials, and a coalescing sensibility. Eva Jiricina, a London-based architect, has designed the show for the Somerset space. It comes to London after a successful run in Los Angeles and Tokyo.

SKIN+BONES: PARRALLEL PRACTICES IN FASHION AND ARCHITECTURE, through August 10th, London

LORCA, IN TIGHTS

Fans of the acclaimed and peculiar choreography of Mats Ek should head to the Palais Garnier this spring. Known for his ability to evoke psychological depth with a blend of classical and modern technique, the Swedish choreographer presents two of his classic pieces. In "The House of Bernarda", he has adapted a tragic play by Frederic Garcia Lorca, setting the dramatic ballet to a score of Bach and traditional Spanish music. 'Sort Of' combines Ek's dance with the minimalist sound of the Polish composer Henryk Gorecki.

"THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA " and 'A SORT OF' , From April 26th to May 11th, Paris

NORTHERN HEART STRINGS

Kronos Quartet, a longstanding, shape-shifting string quartet, collaborates with Tanya Tagaq, an Inuit throat singer, in a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The effect promises to be both unique and unforgettable. "Nunavut", named for the tundra town where Tagaq grew up, also features compositions by Derek Charke and some cerebral music from the Icelandic group Sigur Ros and the Norwegian Xploding Plastix. The concert will be a particular treat for anyone who has not yet heard the haunting, sensual chill of throat singing.

"NUNAVUT" May 3rd, Los Angeles