The world’s largest mobile, awesome lanterns, and other Philly art you must experience this week

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>It’s a good month to be Mannequin Pussy.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Last week, the Philly band played its biggest ever hometown show as the first act at the Foo Fighters’ “Take Cover” tour at Lincoln Financial Field. Dressed in Eagles green, the band commanded attention, with singer Marisa Dabice stripping down to a T-shirt with a meme of Family Guy’s Peter Griffin proclaiming: “I will die for my country Philadelphia.”

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Now, the band is also featured prominently in The Wrong Girls, the frequently hilarious new stoner comedy starring Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat. It’s written and directed by Stewart’s wife, Dylan Meyer, and the loaded cast includes LaKeith Stanfield, Kate McKinnon, Zack Fox, with Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani voicing a pair of cats.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>In The Wrong Girls, the plot turns on a mistaken identity encounter that Stewart’s delivery driver/secret genius character Frankie has at a Mannequin Pussy show.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Just as they did onstage at the Linc, the band makes the most of its screen time, turning in ripping versions of “Patience” and “I Got Heaven,” the title track from the 2024 album that the band, who opened for Florence + the Machine this year and was featured in a NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, continues to support on the road.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>They play European dates this month and will rejoin the Foos in North Dakota and Canada in September.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Besides Mannequin Pussy, The Wrong Girls, which is playing at area theaters, also features a Philly-connected garage-punk soundtrack that reflect Meyer’s excellent taste. The opening credits song is “What You Want” by Philly’s Sheer Mag, the score is by Ty Segall, and songs are heard by Tacocat and Slutever, the 2010s L.A. punk led by Philly natives Nicole Snyder and Rachel Gagliardi.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Mannequin Pussy is playing the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., Oct. 28, r5productions.com.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>— Dan DeLuca

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>When Calder Gardens opened nearly a year ago and the spotlight was on the pioneer of the mobile, Calder fans were unable to see the artist’s largest contribution to the genre. That’s because public access to White Cascade in the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia was closed off for a year during an exhibit renovation in the atrium.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>In June, though, the Philadelphia Fed reopened access to the piece, one of Alexander “Sandy” Calder’s last before his death in 1976.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>You do wish it were a little more accessible. The piece is hung quite high, so you have to try a few spots to fully appreciate it. Employees looking into the atrium from areas not open to the public probably have the better view.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Still, one overcast morning this week, its lithe, hypnotic presence belied the superlative statistics. White Cascade is not only Calder’s largest piece — it is 100 feet tall, and weighs almost 10 tons — it is often cited as the largest mobile in the world.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>And yet, it has a way of disappearing.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“We get folks who stop and look up at it,” said Todd Zartman, the Philadelphia Fed’s economic education manager, “and then other folks, they might work here two or three weeks and they’ll walk right under it and not realize what it is until someone points it out to them.”

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>What might not be obvious to either kind of viewer is that the mobile isn’t static. It’s hung from a motor that rotates the entire work at a very slow — though adjustable — speed.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“It’s been at this speed for quite a while, as long as I can remember, but I know it has been quicker at times,” said Zartman.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>The gradual journey, which takes about 45 minutes per cycle, adds to the arresting effect. White Cascade moves so slowly, you can find yourself standing there for a while trying to prove to yourself that it does move.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>If there’s any larger meaning to the piece, it’s up to the individual viewer to find it.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“The economy is constantly moving, it’s also not static, so I often tell people it kind of fits well here,” said Zartman.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“To most people who look at a mobile,” Calder once said, “it’s no more than a series of flat objects that move. To a few, though, it may be poetry.”

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>The artist might have appreciated the response of one visitor.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“I had a young girl who said it reminds her of the wintertime, of snowflakes coming down,” said Zartman, “and I thought about that, and I was like, ‘That’s kind of relaxing.’”

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“White Cascade” can be seen at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 10 Independence Mall (Sixth St. between Arch and Race), Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>— Peter Dobrin

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>I played tourist last weekend as my parents were visiting and finally made my way to Franklin Square for the annual Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. Unlike the weather in recent nights, it was a perfect evening to stroll through the wow-worthy sculptures of steel and silk.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>At points, I felt like I was walking around an animatronic zoo as a giant bear scooped up salmon and raccoons played around. (I could skip the ones that talked.) Artisans from Zigong, China, created rows of flowers and families of animals like tigers, horses, and otters that completely take over the park. The central fountain is dotted with lit-up lily pads and dazzling swans while nearby there’s an entire jungle habitat with monkeys, birds, butterflies, an elephant, and a sassy snake whose automated mouth opens like a greeting.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>The welcome arch features an array of traditional lanterns with multicolored silk and cool graphics that make for an excellent photo op as does the massive dragon that takes up nearly an entire block.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>The shining star of the night for me was the stunning fox from the persimmon tree display meant to express “blessings of happiness, harmony, and success in the year ahead.” It lounged in front of the bright red fruit tree with a Mona Lisa smile, its mostly white fur illuminated by rainbow lights along its body and bushy, multilayered tail.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>This diva deserves its own animated movie because its presence was pure magic.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival runs through Aug. 30.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>— Rosa Cartagena

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>With top notes of Italian lemon, sweet orange, and bergamot, perfumer Alex Rodriguez’s latest fragrance, Wooder Ice, smells exactly like lemon water ice, a favorite Philly sugary-sweet summertime treat.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>But the perfume’s black currant middle notes and cedar wood and vanilla base gives it a musky vibe turning the warm weather-inspired scent into one that boasts sultry fall redolence.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>And I love it, surprising even myself. I’m not a fan of florals or citrus scents but warm amber and musk notes ground me in reality. A few sprays of RDZ Parfum’s Wooder Ice on my pulse points lit up my summertime glow. Yet, I could see myself cozying up by the fireplace in the wintertime with Wooder Ice wafting in the background.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>That’s the point, said Rodriguez, who released RDZ’s 15th perfume Friday.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“This is a lemon vanilla gelato,” Rodriguez said. “I want people to take their summer memories into the cold, winter months.”

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Rodriguez, the 40-year-old founder and creative director of RDZ Parfum, was born in Camden and spent his preschool years in Puerto Rico before moving back to live in South Jersey and North Philadelphia. He now lives in Pottstown.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>He launched his prestige perfume collection in 2023 to make scents that celebrate his Puerto Rican heritage and Philly-area upbringing. Leyenda 21, his first scent is a salute to Pittsburgh Pirates’ rightfielder Roberto Clemente — one of the first Puerto Ricans to play in the MLB. RDZ’s Art Museum scent, infused with palo santo, is an olfactory nod to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>But wait a minute. If Wooder Ice is an ode to Philadelphia, shouldn’t the first scent be cherry?

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>He kind of already did that.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Two years ago, Rodriguez released Philadelphia.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>In addition to geranium, rose, and grass notes in honor of Longwood Gardens and Fairmount Park and salty hints for the soft pretzel, Philadelphia had a very cherry vibe.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Rodriguez decided to center lemon as the first in his Wooder Ice grouping because it’s his favorite flavor, reminding him of the days when he would frequent Rita’s Ice on South Jackson Street in Camden. “It was just so refreshing,” he said, adding that he’d like to expand Wooder Ice to center other flavors like cherry, grape, and mango.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>“RDZ is about my landscapes, my memories, my culture, and my background,” he said. “Wooder Ice is an extension of that.”

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Wooder Ice is $160 for a 100 ml bottle. It is available at Perfumology, 25 N. Third St. and on RDZParfums.com

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>— Elizabeth Wellington

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>The past five years for Tennessee-born rapper Isaiah Rashad haven’t been quite as blissful. In fact, by the emcee’s own account, it’s been pretty awful.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>In February 2022, an alleged sex tape involving Rashad was leaked on social media, prompting the introverted artist to address his sexual fluidity in media interviews. His bouts of alcoholism, substance abuse, and family drama only added to the descent, which led to a five-year stretch of inactivity.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>That was until Rashad released It’s Been Awful in May. It’s an album unveiling his thoughts at the height of the descension, and the journey he’s undertaken to climb out of it.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>His performance on Thursday started on shaky ground. He opened the show to “The New Sublime” and dropped the mic while leaping from one platform to the other. The crowd recited his lyrics as Rashad, smiling from the embarrassment, walked around to find a quick fix.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Right before the final verse, someone from backstage handed him a fresh mic, and he reverted into rap mode without missing a step.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>Despite the technical missteps and Rashad’s irritated vocal chords, it was incredible seeing him fight through it all to perform records like “Free Lunch,” “4r Da Squaw,” “Heavenly Father,” and other records that span his decade-long career.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>But no track was more symbolic than “The New Sublime,” an especially breezy song that signals his personal ills, and the ones shared among those closest to him. Even with everything he has been through, Rashad calls for prayer and self-reflection to keep his mind at ease. Like the contrast of the song’s lyrics and instrumental, it’s chaos contained.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>That level of resilience, even in conditions as awful as this one, is why Rashad is considered a high-caliber artist. And why I walked away from his performance feeling like I not only “found” the real Isaiah Rashad, I understood him deeper as a man and artist.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>It’s Been Awful is available on all music platforms.

a]:text-blue-mid [&>a]:no-underline [&>a]:hover:shadow-lightmode px-5 sm:px-4 font-medium”>— Earl Hopkins