Book Launch with Jim Coleman, Sarah Register, Nicole Blackman, Tony Drazan and Nossos Tambores

Dive into an immersive evening of spectacle celebrating the publication of Dan Efram’s photography book, Curiosities, inspired by film noir. Named Book of the Month by Leica Fotografie International magazine, Efram’s debut collection published by Tractor-Beam captures the street opera and bravura of a Fellini cast.

This exclusive HOWL! Happening evening brings the spirit of the street into the gallery with a cinematic soundscape of performances and spoken word, bathed in a multi-screen presentation of images from Curiosities. Sound samples—snatches of overheard conversations, quotations, confessions, and original texts—and Efram’s purposefully gritty black-and-white images surround the audience in a multi-layered setting for candid portraits of the odd, unusual, and darkly fascinating characters in the book.

Efram’s Curiosities are augmented by neo-noir experimental soundscapes from Jim Coleman (This Wilderness, Gain Control, Cop Shoot Cop) and Sarah Register (War Bubble, Talk Normal). Reading from her own work and a collection of other sources, Nicole Blackman (Golden Palominos, Recoil, KMFDM) and actor/screenwriter Tony Drazan (director of Hurlyburly and Zebrahead) give voice to the anonymous pedestrians, street vendors, nightcrawlers, and characters reminiscent of a Weegee cast of sordid superstars. Jubilant drum corps Nossos Tambores opens the evening.

 

About the Performers

DANIEL EFRAM: Photographer

Efram has photographed intriguing characters in Spain, Portugal, France, Cuba, and the U.S. for years and continues to be inspired by photographers like Weegee, Diane Arbus, Brassaï, Sylvia Plachy, and Garry Winogrand. Efram shares their desire to master the candid portrait, and hunting and collecting of the odd, unusual, and darkly fascinating. Efram’s work manages to invite his subjects to inhabit their space with often unexpected edge and empathy.

NICOLE BLACKMAN: Writer/Spoken-word performer

Creator of multisensory performances The Courtesan Tales, Beloved, and Bloodwork, she has recorded with The Golden Palominos, Bill Laswell, Recoil, KMFDM, Scanner, and Firewater. Blackman’s book Blood Sugar became a cult classic (now out of print), and her work appears in anthologies and publications including Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Café, Live Through This, New York Quarterly, and Bust. She wrote the foreword and co-edited Curiosities with Efram.

JIM COLEMAN: Musician

An American musician who plays keyboards and sampler. He was a member of 90s noise- rock band Cop Shoot Cop. As a solo musician, he specializes in instrumental electronic music and film scores. His two current projects are This Wilderness and Gain Control.

SARAH REGISTER: Musician

Currently performing with War Bubble. Register has released two albums with noise-rock project Talk Normal, and toured as guitarist with EMA and bassist with Frankie Rose. She has mastered more than 2,000 albums, including Grammy-nominated releases from David Bowie, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Meshell Ndegeocello, Tiësto, and The Shins. 

TONY DRAZAN: Actor

Directed Imaginary Crimes starring Harvey Keitel, Hurlyburly starring Sean Penn, and episodes of The West Wing; wrote and directed the 1992 film Zebrahead.

NOSSOS TAMBORES

Led by Rob Christiansen (29 Hour Party People, Eggs, Grenadine), Nossos Tambores is a mini-drum corps named after a song by their favorite group and inspiration Nação Estrela Brilhante do Recife (“National Bright Star of Recife”).