Warming Waters
As bars, restaurants, and museums remain closed, Mother Nature is one of the few things we still have to enjoy—at least until we’re barred inside due to overcrowding. But even a short walk to pick up groceries and enjoy the sun or marvel at your neighbor’s tulips is a welcome reprieve from staring at screens all day. Coincidentally, it’s also almost time to show your appreciation for the planet and celebrate environmental protection. On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Storytelling with Saris, “a multi-layered collaborative art and advocacy” group, had planned to celebrate the holiday by debuting its public art installation Warming Waters above the C&O Canal. Blue and white saris would be draped above the water, featuring handwritten climate pledges from residents of D.C. and Katakhali Village, Bangladesh. But like we have had to adapt to an atmosphere full of greenhouse gases, the artists behind Warming Waters, Monica Jahan Bose and Robin Bell, have adapted their opening day to an online format. The preview of the installation will feature insights from the workshops and messages from local government offices, environmental protection groups, and the artists. And, if you miss the livestream, you can still catch the rescheduled launch of Warming Waters in July 2020. The livestream begins at 12 p.m. on April 22 on Storytelling with Saris’ Facebook page. Free. —Katie Malone
In the Loop’s concert scene
Released in 2009, In the Loop is a British satire known for its razor-sharp dialogue. If The West Wing suggested beautiful speeches can heal political divides, In the Loop demonstrates an opposing theory: Spin is the start of destruction, rippling from interpersonal clashes into worldwide events. Half an hour into the movie, there’s a brief scene that I can’t stop thinking about. Two characters meet at an unnamed venue, where they pretend to listen to death metal and mostly survey the crowd. It’s a stylish backdrop, unimportant to the plot—but it’s enough to make me feel homesick for all the shows I wish I could have seen this spring. I miss cramped, sweaty house venues and being jostled by strangers. I miss obsessively checking my earplugs and eating midnight toast when I finally straggle back home at night. Still, the scene has a line that makes it all come crashing down: “You see this mosh pit?” one of the characters asks. “Well, they’re mostly House staffers, Senators’ interns.” Surely there are plenty of music fans roaming the halls of Congress—but they’re far from the only people in D.C. Fuckity-bye! You can rent In the Loop on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, or Amazon. $2.99. —Michelle Delgado
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