Screaming for Attention

Zip down Wilson Boulevard near Arlington's Ballston section and you'll likely catch it out of the corner of your eye: the historic building that houses the Arlington Arts Center, wrapped in a 15-foot-tall, 300-foot-long banner of ghoulish faces, masses of them, mouths agape.

Rosemary Feit Covey, the locally based wood engraver behind the public art project -- dubbed the "0 Project" (Zero Project) -- likes it when passersby try to guess what it all means. The faces are yelling but making no sound at all, and viewers have to decide for themselves what injustice is causing their screams.

Many say it's the Holocaust. Kids seem to see zombies. Covey says there has even been one guess that it's the Buddhist monks in Burma. But that's the point. They're different for everyone who sees them, depending on when they see them.

The "0 Project," which officially opens with a bash tomorrow, was a year-long undertaking for Covey, who spent much of the time searching for the perfect material and process to transform the 5-by-15-foot drawing she created in 2005 into a banner that is supposed to hang outdoors till February. The work was ultimately printed on Tyvek, the material that looks like rice paper but is nearly impossible to tear, used in FedEx envelopes and as a weather-resistant barrier in home construction.

Guests are encouraged to wear black, like the people in the banner, for tomorrow's reception, which will feature a performance by BosmaDance and an opportunity for guests to wear masks of the faces themselves. (Down the road, look out for a Speaker's Corner from noon to 4 p.m. on Nov. 17, when the public is invited to talk about causes important to them.)

Free. 6-9 p.m. 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Call 703-248-6800, or for more details about the project, visit http://www.rosemarycovey.com/0.

Save the Date

THE SCENE: Fashion/Charity Brunch for the Cool Set Models will strut around in fall clothing from Pink November and Universal Gear, and guests can nosh on brunch foods and gulp mimosas when Bang hair salon throws its first charity fashion show Oct. 14 at the Capitol City Brewing Co. at Union Station. The money goes to Dress for Success, which provides disadvantaged women with professional clothing to wear as they launch careers. $40-$80 for general tickets; special packages, up to $151. Noon-3 p.m. 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Reservations required; call 202-737-2264.

LITERATURE: The New Yorker's Adam Gopnik The award-winning writer, who has mastered the art of relaying truths about city living, will focus on the golden age of Jewish comedy when he visits the DCJCC for a talk sponsored by the organization Nextbook. Seems he thinks the best years ended when Woody Allen was still young, and long before the likes of Jerry Seinfeld. $8; students and younger than 25, $6. Nov. 1. 6:30 p.m. DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Visit http://www.nextbook.org for tickets. For information, 202-777-3254.

CONCERT: Dinosaur Jr. All Over Again As one would hope for any once-great band planning its reunion, Dinosaur Jr., the snarling, late '80s and early '90s indie rock band, came back together two years ago after a more than decade-long break (members J. Mascis and Lou Barlow, two brusque personalities, didn't exactly see eye-to-eye) and managed to play incredibly intense, deeply satisfying shows. And now, as with most bands in their second acts, the reunion shows have become members' livelihood. After two shows here in the past two years, the band returns Nov. 27. $20. 8 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. 202-397-7328.

The District