“Structures of Time and Space” at Wood Street Galleries (CPs Sun. 1/26/14)

1) Austrian artist Erwin Redl shines a light on perception with Structures of Time and Space at the Wood Street Galleries. The exhibit features two installations: Twists and Turns and Speed Shift, representing space and time, respectively. Redl invites us to analyze the way we see time and space through the use of light. Twists and Turns includes high-intensity light beams shown on strategically placed glass plates that long with a subtle draft throughout the installation cause the glass plates to move at various speeds and reflect different light patterns around the room.  This piece allows the audience to get lost in the installation (without moving a muscle). Speed Shift combines light grids and slight beeps working in tandem to alter people’s perception of time. Redl’s goal with these installations is to take virtual reality and 3-D computer modeling and reverse engineer it back to an architectural through large-scale light installations. See the world in a whole new light! Runs through April 6. 12 – 5 p.m. 601 Wood St., Cultural District.

2) Is there anything better on a cold day than an old movie and plenty of hot popcorn? Take a drive through Dormont to the historic Hollywood Theater for the latest installment of its Silents, Please! series. This week’s installment is 1916’s The Pawnshop, starring silent great Charlie Chaplin. No silent film is complete without music, and in proper fashion, this screening features live accompaniment by local musicians. You’ll also see a special 100th anniversary showing of Kid Auto Races at Venice Beach, Chaplin’s first appearance in a film as his Little Tramp character. Come early for the introduction and Q&A by Chaplin scholar and imitator Dan Kamin. Kick back and take a stroll through the silver screen’s earliest years. 2 p.m. 1449 Potomac Ave., Dormont.

3) Psychedelic soul comes back with a modern vengeance at the Thunderbird Cafe for an evening with The Stepkids. Combining the genres that made the 60’s the decade for music, including jazz, funk, R & B, and folk, the band adds a handful of improvisation, turning their songs into musical snowflakes, with no two renditions being exactly the same. Taking after influential jam bands like The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band, The Stepkids respond to each other, which makes for a truly unique performance. Special guest Funk Ark warms up the crowd. 8 p.m. 4023 Butler St., Lawrenceville.

4) If you’re heading to see  I, Frankenstein this weekend, bring a scarf, not because of the polar vortex, but because this flick will send chills up your spine. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the film follows Dr. Frankenstein’s famed creation 200 years later. Caught in a world where demons and gargoyles continue to battle a centuries-old war, the Monster (named Adam in the film, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart) struggles with the sides of the war and eventually realizes that he alone has the capacity to destroy the humans. Not quite a human, and not quite a demon (or gargoyle), Adam grapples with his new found revelation and what he chooses do to with it. Love interest Terra (Yvonne Strahovski) says it best: “You’re only a monster if you act like one.” See Fandango for theaters and showtimes.

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