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Photograph by Regina Weichler What goes on under the burning desert sun? Urban Guide Listings to plan your week by BurnBabyBurn Watch out! There is a follow up to the Burning Man Project that's adored by many Bay Area residents. The Crucible will hold the screening of BurnBabyBurn, a film featuring "The Experiences of Burning Man 2001." If you don't have a clue what I am talking about, the Burning Man Festival is an annual performing arts celebration that takes place in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Over the last 15 years, the event's attendance has grown to 26,000 with participants from every state in America. The film is produced by Paynie, who is part of the 101 Films collective. BurnBabyBurn was put together to explain and capture the essence of what happens out in the middle of the desolate Nevada desert. A percentage of the evenings profits will go to the Black Rock City Arts Foundation. So go learn something and support the arts. Sat/2, 7 and 9pm. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby, Berk. $5-$10. www.thecrucible.org; www.burningman.com. (GS) Rachel Berwick's birds-eye view. How Extraordinary That the World Exists! There is a great luxury in seeing exhibitions at an art school: freedom. Art schools don't have to worry about organizing shows in order to sell work. They don't have to create entertainment hooks to get tourists to walk in their doors. Art schools are free to create art shows about art, what it does to us, and why we allow art to change us in unusual ways. On Wednesday at CCAC's Oliver Art Center, there will be an opening reception for How Extraordinary That the World Exists! Many of the artists will be on hand at the reception to talk about their work. The show as a whole seeks to understand contemporary life as it is constructed today. Artists Rachel Berwick, Trisha Donnelly, Veli Grano, Daniel Guzman, Gavin Hipkins, Mary Lucier, Boris Mikhailov, and Aleksandra Mir use traditional documentary processes and actual subjects around them to challenge already established notions of information gathering. How extraordinary! Wed/30, 6-7:30pm. Oliver Art Center, CCAC, 5212 Broadway, Oakl. 415.551.9210. (AL) Men with mad Technics. (((Local 1200))) The (((Local 1200))) DJ crew has been holding it down with parties, activism, and creative expression since 1997. Almost any night of the week you can find someone from this hip-hop crew spinning at a party. The members include DJ Theo, Sake One, DJ Namane, Tim D, and Willie Maze. The crew's name comes from a combination of the tools of their trade, 1200 Technic turntables, and a reference to the working class function of union locals. As resident DJ, Sake One will be handling his business Wednesday night at Oakland's Black Box. Thursday, Bluesville's weekly Tempo Lounge party will be in full effect as Namane does his thing for the evening. To catch this stellar crew throw down around the Bay in the future, check out the long running (((Local 1200))) hotline, 869.4272. Thurs/31, 9pm. Bluesville,131 Broadway, Oakl. 893.6215. Fri/1, 8pm. The Black Box, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl. (GS) Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Tropical Vibrations Come celebrate the grand re-opening of one of Berkeley's most famous clubs. Ashkenaz has gone through some retrofitting in the month of January by installing a new recycled hardwood dance floor. They will kick off the re-opening celebration in the best of spirits, which means -- it's FREE! The evening entertainment will be provided by Tom Rigney & Flambeau, who'll attempt to break in the new dance floor with some Cajun tunes. And when they get the crowd a little too heated, stepping in will be the sizzling sounds of Tropical Vibrations. This band will slow the tempos down with some calypso, reggae, and soca. They won San Francisco's Best Carnival Music Award in 1993 (in case you don't know, Carnival in the Mission was the hottest party in town until Mayor Willie Brown stepped in). However, don't think slow tempo means downtime, because you must keep those hips moving to the pounding baselines of the Carribean. Fri/1, 9pm. Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo, Berk. 525.5054; www.ashkenaz.com. (GS) Picks by Aimee LeDuc (AL) and Gabriel Serpa (GS). [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]