San Jose City Hall’s plaza has seen lowrider shows, a huge EDM concert, protests and more. But it’s never looked like it will Jan. 31 when 2,000 people are covering the plaza with illuminated umbrellas.
It’s part of a “flash art” event called “Invisible Skies” by artist Elizabeth Turk. The illuminated umbrella props will be illustrated with constellations, planets and other heavenly bodies. Participants — wearing all black — will move and dance around the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda as it’s all recorded from above to create what should be stunning imagery that will later show up in public spaces. Makes sense, as the rotunda dome does look a lot like an observatory.
Since the call went out last month to sign up for an umbrella, all 2,000 spots have been taken. But Kerry Adams-Hapner, San Jose’s director of cultural affairs, says it’s worth signing up on the wait list just in case a spot opens. And even if you don’t have a spot, it should be a great event to visit, as there will be performances by San Jose Taiko and New Ballet San Jose as well as telescopes provided by the Lick Observatory for checking out the real constellations.
The star party gets started at 5:30 p.m., and you can get more information at etprojects.foundation/invisible-skies.
STATE OF ‘ABUNDANCE’?: Joint Venture Silicon Valley has announced that Derek Thompson, host of the “Plain English” podcast and co-author (with Ezra Klein) of “Abundance,” will be the keynote speaker at this year’s State of the Valley town hall on Feb. 27. The event at San Jose State coincides with the release of the annual Silicon Valley Index, and all those statistics should give Thompson plenty to dive into as the valley remains a region with enormous amounts of wealth and poverty.
Thompson may be a popular draw, as tickets sold out quickly. But there is a waitlist, and you can get more information at www.jointventure.org/events/state-of-the-valley.
GET A MOVIE ON: If you watched the Golden Globes on Sunday night and wondered about the award-winning movies “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent,” 3Below Cinemas in downtown San Jose has got your back. Both movies will start limited runs at the theater beginning Friday, along with other potential Academy Award darlings, including “Train Dreams” and Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” Head to 3belowtheaters.com for showtimes and tickets.
When it comes to cult classics, the David Bowie-starring “Labyrinth” is a Generation X touchstone. The 1986 movie, directed by Muppets creator Jim Henson and written by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, was a bit of a dud on its initial release but gained popularity through home video. Now, it’s being given the “In Concert” treatment, with a 60-city North American tour that includes a stop on Oct. 22 at San Jose Civic. The movie will be presented on a screen with a live band performing the full score by Trevor Jones, plus the songs Bowie did for the movie using his original vocals. Tickets go on sale Jan. 16 through Ticketmaster, and you can get more information at www.labyrinthinconcert.com.
STORIES WORTH SAVING: The Los Altos History Museum has a new exhibition opening Jan. 29, “10,000 Memories: Partition, Independence, and WWII in South Asia,” and as part of the run-up, it is having Guneeta Singh Bhalla, executive director of the 1947 Partition Archive, conduct a workshop on how to create an oral history on Jan. 21.
Bhalla — whose work involves preserving eyewitness accounts of the partition of British India — will guide participants through the process of recording interviews with family and community members, including audio-visual recording techniques, developing effective questions and building a compelling story. The workshop runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and costs $15 (free for museum members). Go to www.losaltoshistory.org/OHworkshop to sign up.
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