The print., October 05, 1983, Page 5, Image 5

Art of Nancy Travers
One-woman collection
presented in Pauling
The many-fold talents of
Ceramics Instructor Nancy
Travers will be featured in the
Pauling Science Center lobby,
through October.
The collection, including
works of painting, pottery and
weaving, will go on display at
7 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday,
with a lecture at 8 p.m. on her
sabbatical in Mexico.
Travers applied for, and
received, a sabbatical for Spr­
ing term of last year. She spent
three weeks of that time at an
artistic center in Oaxaca, Mex­
ico, near the southern border
of that country.
“This show is a presenta­
tion to the College, in ap­
preciation of my sabbatical,”
she said.
Travers teaches ceramics
and uses the other art forms,
weaving, drawing and paint­
ing, as changes of pace.
“Ceramics is done indoors,”
she said. “Drawing and pain­
ting can get done outside.
That’s part of why I do
them.”
She also uses her talent at
drawing to enhance her other
works. “You have to draw in
order to . . \. keep your
awareness alive,” Travers
said. “It forces me to see
things in different ways.”
Travers said she often
draws pottery before she ac­
tually begins to create it. “I
draw before potting, but don’t
stay absolutely true,” she said.
“Pottery is three dimentional.
The art just gives me an idea
of what it will eventually look
like.”
Besides ceramics, Travers
also teaches humanities, which
she enjoys. “It ties in because
humanities is a new way of
looking at things. It’s a way of
getting one’s self to the highest
level possible.”
Nature is a prevalent
theme of her work, Travers
said. “I’m a native Oregonian
and I think that affects my
work. It tends to be about
nature.”
Her training included art
courses at the University of
Oregon and Portland State
University, as well as studies at
the Institute de Allende, in San
Miguel de Allende, Mexico in
1977.
Travers’ show in the
Pauling Center will feature 38
pieces, representing the last six
months of her work. It will
run through Oct. 31.
“Brainstorm” worth wait
By J. Dana Haynes
Of The Print
Imagine a machine that records sights . . .
sounds ... sensations ... thoughts . .. feelings
... emotion . . . even your dreams and
nightmares.
Then, at the touch of a button, transfers
these personal experiences from one mind to
another.
Any person. Any experience.' Anything
you can image.
The above is the cut line for the new
Douglas Trumbull movie “Brainstorm,” starr­
ing Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise
Fletcher and Cliff Robertson. And the movie is,
as promised, just about anything you could im­
agine.
“Brainstorm” premiered last week,
although it was filmed a year ago. The delay
was caused by the mysterious and tragic death
of Natalie Wood, who died while boating with
her husband Robert Wagner and co-star
Walken.
Wood died before the shooting was com­
plete and for a while most people thought
“Brainstorm” would never be distributed. Not
so producer/director Trumbull, who dug up the
extra money required, re-edited the ending, and
kept the project moving after many others gave
up hope.
The effort was well worth it.
“Brainstorm” is the story of two brilliant,
young inventors, played by Walken (“The Deer
Hunter” and “Pennies From Heaven”) and
Fletcher (best know for her smashing perfor­
mance in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest”). Walken and Fletcher, in the character’s
of Drs. Michael Brace and Lillian Reynolds, in­
vent a device that looks like a space-age foot­
ball helmet. The device taps into brainwaves,
storing the sights, sounds, smells and general
environment of the wearer, as well as the emo­
tions that go along. Then, when the helmet is
worn by someone else, that person relives the
experiences and reactions of the first wearer.
Artificial ESP, if you will.
Unfortunately, what the research person­
nel doesn’t know is the entire project has been
financed by the Pentagon. Now that the
machine works, the military wants it.
Halfway through the movie, one of the
researchers suffers a major heart attack. Realiz­
ing death is near, the scientist dons the helmet
and records the sensations of death. It is the
ultimate answer to the ultimate question: What
happens when you die? Is there life after death?
Wednesday October 5,1983
Thanks to the helmet, the answer is there.
Unfortunately, Walken and Wood are fired
and declared persona non grata at the facility
and the death-tape is locked away, to be used
by the military for whatever macabre purposes
it want?.
And so the driving force of the movie: For
Brace: to play the tape and thus answer the
ultimate philosophical question. For the
military: to keep the renegade scientist away
from the ultimate weapon.
“Brainstorm” is as exciting a science fic­
tion movie as one will ever see. The characters
are believable, the special effects wonderful and
the acting, directing and script first rate.
However, this is not a great movie. It should
be, with a plot like that and actors of that
calibre. Unfortunately, it is flawed.
Walken does a fine job, in his usual, low
key, method-actor way. But this is not a low
key role. Brace is a young maverick scientist,
undergoing a divorce, the death of more than
one co-worker and the invention of the decade.
So why then does Walken walk around
throughout the movie talking softly and never
making eye contact with any other actor?
Because that’s his style and he’s very good at it.
He just wasn’t right for this role.
Louise Fletcher, on the other hand, is
dynamic and alive. She’s a brilliant, chain­
smoking dervish who talks at 90 miles an hour
and has no time for paper-shufflers and Pen­
tagon brass. She is, of course a fine actress
whom we see far too seldom. In “Brainstorm”
she’s an absolute joy to watch.
Wood gives a fine performance. She was
never a fantastic actress and this job isn’t fan­
tastic. But she was always good and consistent.
For some reason, Wood was always appealing
and enjoyable and while I can’t think of any
truly breathtaking acting she ever did, I also
cannot think of any poor performance in her
career.
Douglas Trumbull is a good director and
does some very exciting things with this plot.
Unfortunately, the show degenerates into a
special effects vehicle near the end, in part (I
suspect) due to the re-editing made necessary by
Wood’s death.
In the final analysis then, “Brainstorm” is
well worth seeing. If you like science fiction,
and I do, then by all means see it. If you don’t,
but enjoy philosophy, mystery or love stories,
then consider seeing it anyway. “Brainstorm”,
is scary, invocative, fascinating and most im­
portantly, fun.
ASG presents scheduled
festivities for October
Jeff Smith, activities
director for the College’s
Associated Student Govern­
ment, announced a full slate
of events for October.
The second in a series of
Movie Nights will feature
Sylvester Stallone in “First
Blood.” It will be presented in
the Community Center Mall at
7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7.
Admission is $1 for people 12
years of age and older, 50 cents
for seven to 12 year olds, and
seven-and-under’s admitted
free. The ASG will provide
free popcorn.
On Wednesday, Oct. 19,
the ASG will host a Lip
Sync/Air Guitar contest. In
past terms, anyone interested
was encouraged to participate.
The contest consists of mimed
performances of rock groups
with appropriate, taped
background music.
People wishing to par­
ticipate should sign up at the
ASG office, in the Community
Center. The ASG must have a
copy of the chosen music in
advance, Smith said.
Halloween week will host
three events. First, the annual
Pumpkin Carving Contest will
be held on Wednesday, Oct.
26, in the Mall. The competi­
tion is based on speed, skill
and the final look of the
pumpkin.
Another movie, John
Landis’ “An American
Werewolf in London” will be
shown on the following night,
Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7:30
p.m.
On Friday of that week,
the College will host a Hallo­
ween dance in the Mall, from 9
to midnight. The featured
band will be Mr. Nice Guy, a
Portland-based group.
For further information,
contact the ASG, ext. 245.
Do you have an artistic talent?
A statement that needs saying?
A verse that must be shared?
A unique view of society?
Have we got a magazine for you!
Rhapsody. Trailer B. Ext. 309, 310.
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