Photographer Christos Palios gives a rich take on panoramic photography. His 360-degree photos, called Giant Colorful Revolution, not only capture fields of view larger than the human eye but they have the uncanny knack of incorporating the viewer into the photo itself. He stands you in the midst of the photo and asks you to "look around." Committed to his art form, Christos is meticulous about providing every detail of his extended-version photos. Whether they are dilapidated or quaintly elegant, he makes sure that you notice them at every angle. His panoramic scenes are so eye-catching (i.e., the Korean Memorial, the WWII Memorial, National Cathedral and Larissa, Greece) that they cause viewers to quietly stare. Besides his individual collection, he has created a number of commissioned works, including his recent collaboration with Tom Kiefaber of the Senator Theater. In support of the Senator, Christos developed several pieces to be auctioned off to raise funds to save this historic landmark. Christos' Giant Colorful Revolution can be found at several galleries in the area, including: Light Street Gallery, Spoons Coffee House Roastery and an extensive showing at Discovery, Too in Bethesda. His work can be viewed on his website and participating gallery websites listed below.

Giant Colorful Revolution
Discovery, Too Gallery
Light Street Gallery

Tom Kiefaber, Owner, Senator Theater

Mr. Thomas Kiefaber is a tireless advocate for historic movie houses, particularly, his own 68 year-old Senator Theater. He remembers the glory days of these beautifully built architectural masterpieces. Not only were they a place to come and escape into stories made of film, but the buildings themselves were places to behold. Mr. Kiefaber has not missed the mark on this point. His collaboration with Christos Palios to capture the splendor of the Senator in his panoramic photographs is just one of the many ways that Tom continues to show his dedication. He plans to auction off the images to raise money for the Senator, simultaneously raising awareness to the plight of main street movie houses.

More information about Christos Palios' Giant Colorful Revolution of the Senator Theater can be found on the Senator's website listed below:

The Senator Theater

Blending the ancient and modern in instrumentation and spirit, Baltimore-based Telesma, bridges the gap between primal and futuristic, setting itself apart from other bands on the scene. With a sound that could be labeled "electro-acoustic psychedelic world dance music", Telesma was formed in 2002 by accomplished didgeridoo and bamboo mouth harpist Ian Hesford and keyboardist/percussionist/programmer/vocalist Jason Sage. Their performances often include multimedia projections, bellydancing by the Egyptian Sun Belly Dancers and performance art and interpretive dance by MoTH. Ian Hesford's extensive performance history includes the Embassy of Australia, the National Geographic Society, Sonar, the Kennedy Center, and the Embassy of New Zealand, among others, while in addition, co-founder Jason Sage has appeared at the Red Maple, the Burning Man Festival, and on the Discovery Channel, MTV and the Travel Channel. Telesma, itself, has performed at Johns Hopkins' Shriver Hall, the Funk Box, the Patterson, Voodoo Music Fest, Fletcher's, the 13th Floor, and the Ottobar, as well as the Baltimore Rhythm Festival, the Sowebohemian Festival and the Powwow.

Telesma was commissioned by the Patterson Theater to compose and perform a live score for the 1927 silent screen epic "Ben Hur". The show was such a success that Telesma was subsequently invited to compose and perform a score for the 1925 silent film of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" at Baltimore's prestigious Center Stage Theater. Says George Figgs, founder of the famed Orpheum Film Series in Baltimore, "Telesma is one of the most unusual and eclectic—yet musically knowledgable—bands that I have ever heard. A band with a sense of humor, yet serious in its approach—a truly ancient modern theatrical sound, while being very interesting visually." A band that is able to evoke atmosphere and express emotional charge, Telesma's unique sound is driven by the primal voice of the didgeridoo, one of the oldest instruments in the world (40,000 years). Alongside instruments like the infrared D-beam, kubing (bamboo mouth harp), drums, percussion, guitars and vocals, Telesma produces a sound that both harkens back to the ancient tribal past and reaches to the trance-like pulse not unlike that heard in modern electronic dance music. In short, it's hard to sit still while listening to Telesma!

Telesma will be performing at the ESPN Zone at Baltimore's Inner Harbor on August 8.

Telesma's homepage
Telesma's Myspace page

Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt makes a tour stop at the Walters Art Museum. It features 45 original American Quilts from the last 70 years, and explores the influence of architecture, environment and traditional quilting motifs in the foundation of the women's innovative style. Also featured are the photographs of Linda Day Clark, who for the past six years frequently visited Gee's Bend and befriended the women.

The exhibit runs through August 26. Ms. Clark's photographs are on view through September 2.

The Walters Art Museum

The American Civil War sent shock waves through the United States, threatening its very existence and testing the strengths and fault lines of this young nation. Perhaps nowhere more than in Maryland was division felt on the personal level. Families in Maryland were split apart by siblings who took sides for the North or the South. The first blood shed during this war was spilled on Pratt in downtown Baltimore as wildly angry citizens attacked Union troops marching from one train station to another. Baltimore went under marshall law; Union cannons on Federal Hill were trained on the city of Baltimore across the harbor, ready to fire on the citizens in case of revolt. Troops were stationed everywhere throughout the state, even up in Mount Washington as they guarded the train tracks against sabotage. North of Baltimore, in Union Mills, family farms were billeting Union troops at the start of one day and Rebel forces at day's end. The real life drama of the time is captured in personal letters and newspaper accounts by author Charles W. Mitchell in his book Maryland Voices of the Civil War, published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Mr. Mitchell himself is descended from a congressman, a pirate and two Confederate officers. (His wife Betsy's family includes eleven Union soldiers, Pennsylvanians all, so you can imagine the lively discussions that happened in their house during the making of this book!)

Charles Mitchell joins Rhea to talk about his book on this week's Artworks This Week.

Johns Hopkins University Press

This week's salon art is by artist Charlene Clark. She began to teach herself to paint and draw while in her former career as a television producer and publicist. She drew inspiration from her collections of comic books, vintage pinup magazines and 1950’s clothing and shoes. She has been known to dress-up and photograph herself while wearing these outfits. The photos serve as studies for the paintings and also appear in her series of greeting cards. Brightly colored oil paintings of nostalgic lifestyles and strong-willed women, are some of the recurrent images in Charlene Clark’s artwork. “There is an abundance of potent and visual memories inside my head and since most of these images no longer exist in reality I am compelled to put them on canvas,” says Clark. While definitely living in the present, this obsession with the past is frankly revealed in her slightly quirky, atmospheric paintings of bygone eras.

This weekend Clark will be one of the many artists exhibiting their work at this year's Artscape.

Charlene Clark's Studio