Lamb's Objects at The Drift art on Main Street

Alexander Lamb Antiques
3271 Main Street
(in co-operation with "Blackie" Schwartzkopf)
is proud to present
as part of The Drift art on Main St.
October 2 and 3, 2010

the work of Laura Lamb
Vis: Lamb's Performing Objects
"What Other Beasts?"

"A Troupe of Objects & the Acts, Fictions & Spectacles
which may have Comprised their Performances"

You will most positively see:

Kinetic Window Display : The Great Menagerie
Two Splendidly Educated Sphinxes (or "Philosophers")
Drawings: "What Other Beasts?"
Photographic Prints: "Methods of Walking and Dancing"
Chapbook: "Strange Songs of Trust and Treachery
as Sung by Lotte Obratsov
in the Celebrated Opera: Century"

And More!

The Artist will be present
All items for sale or rent

Do Not Miss:
What Other Beasts? Cabaret
Saturday October 2 7-10 p.m.

Plus
(As Always at this Location)
The most astounding and delectable
collection of artifacts for sale
Viz: The Wunderkammer of A. Lamb

and
the Unparalleled Ethnographics
of the late Harold and Barbara Morgan
Viz: The Exotic World Museum
(in the back)

On Lotte Obratsov

Blackie's Blues


I remember the place we met - an old army barracks that had been converted to a rehearsal studio. The September sun entered the narrow faded room through the wood frame window. Outside the window was an apple tree with small misshapen fruit. It was quiet. The old barracks were somewhat out of the way, on the outskirts of the city.

Lotte sat at a very sturdy but scarred wooden work table going over a score.

I had only recently met the fellow who introduced us, a friendly but empty-headed tenor.
“Here's Lotte, a unique individual, you'll love her ... one of a kind..”

Lotte ignored his somewhat patronizing introduction and began sharing her enthusiastic and completely original, to my mind, thoughts on Berlioz, just as if we were old friends resuming an interrupted chat.

As we (mostly Lotte), compared the songs from “Les Nuits D'ete” Lotte illustrated her ideas by singing phrases, tapping out rhythms and interjecting surprisingly (at first) earthy colloquialisms such as “Any one can tell, that passage is flat as piss on a plate!”

Lotte moved from Berlioz to a discussion of a contemporary composer whom I had never heard of, and when I confessed my ignorance, she described his avant-garde experiments with such clarity and humour that I put aside my prejudice and became quite anxious to hear his compositions.

But I was ever more curious to get to know Lotte. I was captivated, as so may audiences have been, before and since.

From the road,
Blackie

Blackie's Blues

By Blackie Schwartzkopf

On: The Department of Ornithology

Dear Friends,

Most people are aware of the musicality of birds. Although our birds certainly have great musical minds, their talents transcend mere singing. In fact, our Department of Ornithology has few musical rivals.

When not composing or performing, the birds live in a trailer, which appears to be a cage.

Their trainer is a poet known to me only as Nick, or Nikipolidis

He refuses to count the birds, or at least refuses to admit to counting them

He probably took up bird training because there is very little money in poetry.

Only the parrot can speak English. Since she is very old, she often doesn't bother.

English words, however are often heard in the birds' performances.

According to Nikipolidis, birds use their wings to scoop the music up with the air and beaks to filter the songs out. The birds, he claims, use their eyes to pierce and snare the churning events below and hold them with a few qualifying glances. These they pull back and let form into music.

The performance begins as the trailer is pulled by acrobats to the center of the ring. The birds fly out of the top of the roofless trailer.

They arrange themselves with dignity and precision, perching on the furniture and scenic backdrop which remains on stage from the performance of Century.

Nikipolidis conducts, but does not keep time.

I doubt if I will ever tire of their songs.

From the road,

Blackie

Blackie's Blues

By Blackie Schwartzkopf

On The Department of Ornithology

Dear Friends,

Most people are aware of the musicality of birds. Although our birds certainly have great musical minds, their talents transcend mere singing. In fact, our Department of Ornithology has few musical rivals.

When not composing or performing, the birds live in a trailer, which appears to be a cage.

Their trainer is a poet known to me only as Nick, or Nikipolidis

He refuses to count the birds, or at least refuses to admit to counting them

He probably took up bird training because there is very little money in poetry.

Only the parrot can speak English. Since she is very old, she often doesn't bother.

English words, however are often heard in the birds' performances.

According to Nikipolidis, wings are used to scoop the music up with the air and beaks to filter the songs out. The birds, he claims, use their eyes to pierce and snare the churning events below and hold them with a few qualifying glances. These they pull back and let form into music.

The performance begins as the trailer is pulled by acrobats to the center of the ring. The birds fly out of the top of the roofless trailer.

They arrange themselves with dignity and precision, perching on the furniture and scenic backdrop which remains on stage from the performance of Century.

Nikipolidis conducts, but does not keep time.

I doubt if I will ever tire of their songs.

From the road,

Blackie

On The Great Menagerie

Blackie's Blues

By Blackie Schwartzkopf, Impresario, Lamb's Performing Objects

On The Great Menagerie

Dear Friends,

I'm often asked, "What methods do you use to train your marvelous beasts?" I must answer that it was the beasts, now know as The Great Menagerie, who have educated me.

When I met the first of the animals who are now my clients, colleagues and companions, they came with nothing. Nothing but a question - a question which now has become well known: "What Other Beasts?"

Attempting to solve this riddle had led me down roads sometimes even more meandering and stoney than those winding between the venues where we perform. New questions arose. What are the rhetorics of reverie? What is the motive power of objects? The question: "What Other Beasts?" remains. I invite greater minds than my own to theorize.

Meanwhile,The Great Menagerie astounds audiences. I occupy myself with managing their careers.

From the road,
Blackie

On The Great Menagerie

Blackie's Blues

By Blackie Schwartzkopf,

Impresario, Lamb's Performing Objects

Dear Friends,

I'm often asked "What methods do you use to train your marvelous beasts?" I must answer that it was the beasts, now known as The Great Menagerie, who have educated me.

When I met the first of the animals who are now my clients, colleagues and companions, they came with nothing. Nothing but a question - a question which now has become well known: "What Other Beasts?"

Attempting to solve this riddle has led me down roads sometimes even more meandering and stoney than those winding between the venues where we perform. New questions arose. What are the rhetorics of reverie? What is the motive power of objects? The question: “What Other Beasts?” remains. I invite greater minds than my own to theorize.

Meanwhile, The Great Menagerie astounds audiences. I occupy myself with managing their careers.

From the road,

Blackie

Songs of Trust and Treachery
As sung by Lotte Obratsov

Bits and Tatters


Bits and Tatters

Embrace it
Embrace it wholly
Upset and loosen the pieces.
Let it crumble
Let it crumble
Let it crumble into traces

Chorus:
Let it
Let it carry you
Let it carry you away

Unravel it
It's complications
Now it's bits and tatters
Accept, accept the situation
That is all that matters.

Songs of Trust and Treachery
As sung by Lotte Obratsov

Circus Waltz


The birds will correct us
Their cries will reflect us
The circus is coming today.

The apes will delight us
They never will bite us
The circus is coming. Hooray!

The tigers will tease us
Their antics will please us
The circus is coming today.

The devil will dream us
His friends will redeem us
The circus is coming. Hooray!

The clown will amaze us
We won't let it phase us
The circus is leaving they say.

The beasts will connect us
They'll never reject us
The circus has gone on its way.

After the music from trumpet and fiddle
And after rhyming of end and of middle

After the stories and pictures and songs
After the pranks, provocations and wrongs

And after the travellers have gone, as they must
All that is left is the sky and the dust.
(begin again and continue till fade)

Cast of the opera "Century"

Songs of Trust and Treachery

As sung by Lotte Obratsov

Quality of Light


That day, the day that I came home,
The day before I went away,
There was a quality of light
That showed the world in its array

The things that lay around the room,
The voices from the street below,
There was a quality of light
That made them possible to know

The walls, the floor, the fools, the flowers,
The narrow stairs, the dusty panes,
There was a quality of light
That held them gently as they changed

Repeat first verse