Slope Weekday Event Spotlight: April 25-28

Welcome to the week, which features many events: very secret science, superhero plays, postpunk history, and more.

Secret Science Club presents Primatologist + Author Frans de Waal
When: Monday, April 25. Doors: 7:30pm, Show: 8pm
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
What: In his new book Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, primatologist and best-selling author Frans de Waal takes a deep look at animal cognition and the many kinds of intelligence in the animal world—from tool-making crows and self-aware apes to discriminating elephants and octopuses that are slippery (in more ways than one). At this Secret Science Club edition, Frans de Waal asks: How does intelligence evolve? What clues about the human mind are revealed by studying animal cognition? What mental skills do animals have that we are just beginning to understand?
How much: Free.

Slavic Soul Party
When: Tuesday, April 26, 9:00pm
Where: Barbes, 376 9th Street near 6th Avenue.
What: If you’re looking for “fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Gypsy accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops,” don’t miss Slavic Soul Party, hitting the Barbes stage on Tuesday night. 7pm show by Pangari & The Socialites.
How much: $10 (strongly) suggested donation.

Brooklyn Public Philosophers: Michael Brownstein, “The Psychology and Philosophy of Implicit Bias”
When: Wednesday, April 27, 7:00pm
Where: Brooklyn Public Library, Info Commons Lab, 10 Grand Army Plaza
What: Michael Brownstein will speak about the psychology and philosophy of implicit bias – what implicit bias is, its place in the mind, and its relation to personal responsibility and self-trust.
How much: Free.

TinyRhino: Superhero Edition
When: Tuesday, April 26, Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8pm
Where: Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street (between 3rd and 4th Avenues)
What: TinyRhino is The Theatrical Drinking Game. It is also UglyRhino’s take on the ten-minute play festival. Every month we commission six playwrights to write new plays, each including the same five dramatic elements. If you join us for TinyRhino, you’ll be given a list of these elements. They might show up at any time, in any order, and with any frequency. When they do show up, do you know what that means?! DRINK!! Every TinyRhino also features music, drink specials, and a cocktail hour following the performance.
How much: $10, tickets available online.

Goth 101: A History of the Postpunk and Goth Subculture, 1978 – 1992, An Illustrated Lecture with Andi Harriman
When:  Wednesday, April 27, 7pm-9pm
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 3rd Avenue at 7th Street
What: From DIY beginnings in the late 70s to the end of its initial phase at the turn of the 90s, the postpunk and goth subculture flourished for over a decade with its dark and dramatic aesthetics. Goth’s DNA is a diverse and complex one with roots in nostalgia and imagined realities, mainly derived from the macabre and uncanny. Influenced by an androgynous Bowie, the dramatic romance of Victorian literature and B-movie horror films (just to name a few), the progenitors of the scene generated the perfect concoction of atmospheric sounds, haunting lyrics and spooky visuals. This lecture will address pressing questions such as “what is goth?” and explore the extensive timeline of the scene’s history. Join us in this illustrated survey of goth and postpunk – a lecture for diehard fans and newbies alike – spanning the bands, places and influences that contributed to the birth and longevity of the subculture.
How much: $12, tickets available online

One Canal View: Paintings by Joel Beck
When: Through May 7, Thursday and Fridays, 3pm-7pm, Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-7pm
Where: Gowanus Souvenir Shop, 543 Union Street (the entrance is on Nevins Street, and down the alley, and on the left)
What: An exhibition of paintings by Joel Beck.
How much: Free, art available for purchase.

Fear Not To Appear — Paintings, Drawings, and Books, 1980-1997 by Dale Williams
When: Through Friday, May 6. Opening tonight from 6pm-9m with an artist talk at 7:30pm. Regular hours Friday-Sunday, 11am-6pm and by appointment.
Where: Gowanus Loft, 61 9th Street #C8 (between 2nd Avenue and the Gowanus Canal.)
How much: Free — contact colby@vanderbiltrepublic.com for an appointment.

How To Build A Fire: Flying Shoes
When: Thursday, April 28. 8pm-10pm
Where: Open Source Gallery, (306 17th Street at 6th Avenue)
What: How To Build A Fire is a storytelling series set within the visually surprising, kinetic, and energized space of Open Source Gallery. The series is the brainchild of the poet Terence Degnan, who for a year, curated and hosted countless storytellers from all walks of life while inviting guest curators along the way to help to diversify the voices. He has passed on the curatorial and hosting duties to his friends and colleagues Kate Hill Cantrill and Dennis Norris and they intend to maintain the spontaneous mix of characters, themes, ideas, while opening up the series to include musical, visual, and other creative ways of enhancing the art of telling a story. For the final installment of Season 2, storytellers have been invited to explore the theme “Flying Shoes.” Storytellers will include some of the curators’ favorites from the past year.
How much: Free.

Hai: Sole Exchange
When: Through April 29. Regular hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 2pm-6pm.
Where: Open Source Gallery, (306 17th Street at 6th Avenue)
What: Healing Arts Initiative and Open Source Gallery present Sole Exchange, a participatory art installation curated by Francis Palazzolo. Sole Exchange explores the intersection between live performance and representational form, utilizing social practices that enhance intersubjectivity. Paintings and drawings by HAI studio members included in Sole Exchange aim to disrupt cultural polarization and destigmatize mental health issues. Participation in this exhibit not only makes the viewer an active participant, helping to increase understanding between individuals, but also increases the visibility of the HAI studio members. To negotiate unspoken and unrealized spaces between people, HAI studio members pictured kinship upon the Open Source walls, creating artwork for the exhibit that explores collaboration and community. Exhibited work validates the input of marginalized communities and encourages a position of strength and stability for the artists.
How much: Free.