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Back to the Basic: GalleryStrolling at UMOCABy Mariah Mellusmariah@slugmag.comI like to think of myself as an efficientperson. Truthfully, I get a little thrill fromcramming my schedule to see howmuch I can get done in one hour or oneday. When it comes to gallery strolling,I want to see as much brilliant art aspossible in the amount of time I haveallotted. So, when a gallery or museumoffers a variety of outstanding exhibitshappening simultaneously, that venuemakes it to the top of my hit list.UMOCA, located at 20 S. West Temple,has been the foundation for contemporaryart in Utah since 1931. With fourgallery spaces featuring international,national and local art, you’re likely tosee something that inspires, delights ortouches you—usually a little of each.It’s safe to say that manners andetiquette are not this generation’sstrong suit. Technology keeps us overlyconnected with the world, so muchthat we forget to connect with thosestanding right next to us. For the recentdOCUMENTA13 exhibit in Kassel,Germany, artist Ana Prvacki wascommissioned to create a series ofpublic service announcements, now atthe UMOCA in an exhibit titled NeutralizeNegative Feelings, March 1 – April27. These PSAs were meant to helpone navigate awkward social situationssuch as spinach in one’s teeth, or theamount of personal space a personshould be given, but the message isalways one of respect and politeness.Prvacki incorporated etiquette counselorVartouhi Keshishyan and comedygroup The Intecollectuals, whichmakes for credible, yet witty skits. ThePSAs, played on a flat screen, areaccompanied by embroidered linens, amore traditional approach to remindingone of how to behave. The messageremains the same, but the tools fordelivering it have evolved. For thosewith embroidery or quilting skills whocrave the old sewing circle, UMOCAwill host the Friday night Embroideryand Etiquette Club March 1 – April 27from 6-8 p.m. Come stitch and bitchwith a new etiquette topic each week.For more details on the club, contactEmily King atemily.king@utahmoca.org.It doesn’t get more basic than an 8.5x 11–inch piece of paper, found inabundance in every office in the world.When Ignacio Uriarte sat day inand day out in an office, though, thisbusiness administrator found his artisticexpression. Binaries, open March 1– June 15, takes the very basic officesupplies––paper, rulers, markers and“Marinated Film,” by JenniferWest, part of the Analogitalexhibit at UMOCA. ImageCourtesy the artist, Marc FoxxGallery, Los Angeles andVilma Gold, London.type size––and creates a dynamicand thought-provoking exhibit. Cleanlines, great depth and very clever, Ihighly recommend popping in to seethis show. Highlights include a largeA4 paper installation entitled “DoubleRhombus” ––82 x 18.2 inches of plain,white paper folded to create depth, motionand color. “Ascending Type” takestype size from a 32 to 1024, evoking afeeling of place and size while offeringinfinite options within type size. In “FourGeometry Sets,” a wall of ultrachromeprints reflects various shapes andshades made from layering and arrangingeveryday rulers.From calm and clean, to chaotic andsporadic, the Analogital exhibit ––Jan.18 – April 20—could have used a triggerwarning: “This exhibit could invokeseizures, or, at the very least, a mindnumbingheadache.” If you thought thedial-up modem was annoying, wait untilyou hear Mark Leckey’s refrigeratorvoice tell you about his many featureswhile traveling through space and timevia a green screen, and I can’t evenbegin to explain why 14 televisions in aback room were showing snippets of aMeatloaf concert. As with our moderncommunication, we wade through thestatic to find what we want or need.I was treated to a taste of my past ina piece titled “I Shot Andy Warhol.”Viewers play original Nintendo gameHogan’s Alley, but all the charactersare replaced with images of AndyWarhol. Analogital explores whereimagination and technology meet andhow that intersection might shape thefuture. My future has dinner plans, soI’m off with my total gallery time at onehour and 15 minutes. Who says youdon’t have time for a stroll?By Mike Riedelmikey@slugmag.comAny beer that you manage to get yourhands on has its own little sliver ofhistory to go along with it. I’m not talkingabout beers being made with thebrewer’s “beard yeast” or some crazedfringe zymurgist deciding to throw yaktesticles into his latest stout—I’m talkingabout culturally significant reasons whyone region’s beer is so much differentthan anothers. Looking back on Lentenseason (the six weeks leading up toEaster), I thought it would be appropriateto review some beers that wereoriginally designed especially for Lent.Bockbiers are some of Germany’sbigger beers, and they rank among theheaviest, maltiest and smoothest brewsin the world. German monks madethese beers primarily for their own consumptionto help them get through thefasting that accompanied Lent. So highin calories are bockbiers that they couldsustain a band of lonely, smelly monksall the way to Easter Sunday. Now wedrink them just because they’re so fuckingmalty and delicious. Here are somefine local examples.The DevastatorDouble BockBrewery/Brand:Wasatch/Utah BrewersCooperativeABV: 8.0%Serving Style: 12 oz. BottleDescription: The Devastator poursdark bronze with orange highlights.Take a whiff and your sniffer gets ahuge dose of earthy, dark fruits, overripefigs and strawberries, with justa bit of nutty bread underneath. As ithits your pie-hole, the taste mimics thenose with some highly earthy, overripedark fruit notes coming on early and astrong, heavy dose of figs, prunes anda bit of red berry. A dose of crusty maltprovides a nice bed underneath. Hopsare perceptible toward the long finish.Overview: This is a worthy exampleof a beer style that can range from“sucks” to “fruitcake”––a great, local,year-round lager.Double SkullDoppelbock LagerBrewery/Brand: EpicBrewing Co.ABV: 9.0%Serving Style: 22 oz. BottleDescription: This beer looks nice. Ithas a hazy, reddish-brown color with anice, dense, cream-colored head. Thenose is of grainy chocolate and toastedcaramel malts with some floral hops.After the Devastator, I was expectingmore chewy, dark fruits, but my tonguewas happy for a nice change of pace.The taste starts with sweet, grainychocolate and toffee malts with a littledark fruit rounding out the front end.Some grassy and floral hops comethrough in the end, leading to a dry,boozy finish.Overview: As it warms, some nice,leathery notes come out. This is a lesstraditional example, but it will help turnthat six-pack you’re sporting into a keg,toot-sweet!Cherny BockBrewery/Brand:Bohemian BreweryABV: 4.0%Serving Style: On Tap, CansDescription: This lager is muchdarker than the others, and it has ablack, ruby hue with a fine cap of tanhead. As soon as my nose got insidethe glass there was lot of dark fruit, aswell as some toffee and caramel malt. Ifyou like your beer boozy, you’re likelyto be a little disappointed. If you’reall about flavor, you’re going to go“Squeeeee!” The flavor is similar to thenose, with toffee, caramel, cocoa anda lot of dark fruit. There is also a nice,dry nuttiness in the finish.Overview: For such a light beer, ithas a full, round taste that can competewith its much more boozy and cloyingcounterparts. I’d say that this is moreof a hybrid of a Schwarzbier and aBock—a “Schwartzbock”? You can getit damn near everywhere, anytime.I have many more daily beer musingsin my arsenal. Check out the Utah BeerBlog (utahbeer.blogspot.com) for more ofmy bullshit.54 SaltLakeUnderGround slugmag.com 55Cheers!