ART

FLIGHTS OF FANCY A squadron of airplanes will fly along the Hudson River this weekend trailing banners emblazoned with artist Jenny Holzer’s “Truisms” – such as “Sloppy Thinking Gets Worse Over Time” and “Action Causes More Trouble Than Thought” – and a quote from Abraham Lincoln, “Whatever You Are, Be a Good One.” The high-flying art is a production of Creative Time. Saturday-Monday, 1-3:30 p.m., between the Verrazano Bridge and the George Washington Bridge, best views along Hudson waterfront from New York and New Jersey, times subject to change, 212-206-6674 ext. 2 for up-the-minute information, free.

UNNATURAL HISTORY Sculptor Richard Plunkett spent the last two years creating work for a fictional natural history exhibit – which he imagined to be held 100 years in the future. To add to the confusion, the fanciful sculptures have now been installed at a real natural history museum. Mr. Plunkett discusses the works in “Future Shock,” which represent “endangered species in Staten Island” based on current evolutionary theory. Talk: Friday, 6 p.m., free. Exhibit: Through February, Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, 1-5 p.m., 75 Stuyvesant Place, between Hamilton Avenue and Wall Street, Staten Island, 718-727-1135, $2 adults, $1 seniors and students, free for children under 12.

BENEFITS

AUTUMN APPLE The opening night for the not-for-profit Big Apple Circus includes dessert and dancing under the big top. The circus’s new show, “Picturesque,” makes its debut. Friday, 6 p.m. cocktails and dinner to follow, 7:15 p.m. performance, 9 p.m. dessert and dancing, Lincoln Center, Damrosch Park, West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, 212-268-2500 ext. 129, $400-$2,500.

BOOKS

FEATHERED FRIEND Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Richard Rhodes reads from his biography “John James Audubon” (Knopf). The book illuminates the great bird-lover’s life, including his 1803 arrival in America from France, his work on the seminal series “The Birds of America,” and a trip across the Atlantic to reunite with his wife. Friday, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street, 212-595-6859, free.

FAMILY

BROOKLYN GIRL Mari Takabayashi reads and signs her picture book “I Live in Brooklyn” (Houghton Mifflin), about a 6-year-old girl’s life in Carroll Gardens. Saturday, noon, Barnes & Noble Park Slope, 267 Seventh Ave. at Sixth Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-832-9066, free.

FOOD & DRINK

BURGUNDY BOUCHE Chef Remy Roussel, a member of the “Burgundy wine brotherhood,” arrives in New York to create a three-course meal highlighting the best of Burgundy’s food and wine. The menu draws on regional flavors with ingredients such as snails, red wine sauces, and black currants. Monday through Monday, November 15, Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m.-midnight, Sunday, 5-10:30 p.m., Gavroche Restaurant, 212 W. 14th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-647-8553, $30, $45 with wines.

HALLOWEEN

GETTING SLEEPY Those who want to make a career of spooky stuff can take a weekend course in “Basic Hypnosis.” The workshop is designed to lead students through the essentials: producing a trance, the history of hypnosis, and the role of hypnotism in healing. The course also provides 16 hours of training toward certification from the National Guild of Hypnotists. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave. at 34th Street, 212-817-8215, $250.

SCARY PLOT Green-Wood Cemetery is the spine-tingling scene of two Halloween tours. Historian Jeff Richman leads the tour, which is packed with tales of murder, mayhem, and ghosts. Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m., Green-Wood Cemetery, meet at main entrance at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue, 718-768-7300, $15 general, $10 members.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR Family entertainers Richard Steven Cohn and Alexandra Cohn invoke Brooklyn’s magical charm in a program that highlights the borough’s history of magic, music, and performance. Saturday, 2 p.m., Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. at Clinton Street, Brooklyn, 718-222-4111, $6 general, $4 children.

SCREEN SCREAM Film buffs can arrive in costume for an all-night marathon of classic Italian horror films. Highlights include Lucio Fulci’s 1980 “Gates of Hell,” which is set in a small New England town, and Riccardo Freda’s 1965 murder mystery “The Ghost.” Prizes will be awarded to costumes in categories such as “most inappropriate,” “most disgusting,” and “most Italian.” Saturday, 3 p.m. tickets go on sale, 7 p.m. first screening, Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St. at Avenue A, 212-591-0434, $30.

POTS AND PANS A “Ghouls & Gourds” festival features old-fashioned fun including a flea circus, a puppet theater, and the music of a pots-and-pans band. Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m., Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Ave. at Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-623-7200, $5 general, $3 seniors and students, activities free with admission.

MUSIC

STYLISH SONGS Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi croons in a cabaret act that also features jazz pianist Ben Waltzer and his quintet. Fridays through November 12, 7:30 p.m., Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. at Astor Place, 212-539-8778, $20.

SWEET NIGHT The a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock bring the sounds of spirituals, hymns, gospel, jazz, and blues to Carnegie Hall. The seven African-American women who make up the group augment their music with handheld percussion instruments. Saturday, 8 p.m., Carnegie Hall, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, 212-247-7800, $23-$68.

BOSCH BASH Matt Harrison works by day as a director at the Economic Development Corporation – but by night, he’s the guitarist for The Bosch, a band named for 15th century painter Hieronymus Bosch. The Brooklyn group brings its brand of “post-surf” rock to Manhattan this weekend. Saturday, 9:30 p.m., Luna Lounge, 171 Ludlow St., between Stanton and Houston streets, 212-260-2323, free, 21 and over.

TALKS

DESIGNING HISTORY Architect Maya Lin discusses her work, inspirations, and the role of public memorials with the executive director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, Lowery Stokes Sims. Friday, 6 p.m., Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street, 212-570-3949, $30.

BOSTON BUILDING A panel discusses the architecture and art of the Boston Federal Courthouse. Participants include Justice Breyer, architecture critic Robert Campbell, and artist Ellsworth Kelly. Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon, Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, between Bleecker and West 3rd streets, 212-683-0023, free.

THEATER

DIVINE DRAMA The theater piece “Hell,” which recreates Dante’s descent into the inferno, is performed by a singer, a dancer, and a cellist. Nine arias in the original Italian, seven dance pieces, and a series of scenes (in English) tells the story of Dante’s journey. The work uses sources from tango, flamenco, opera, classical theater, and vaudeville and is set against a backdrop of images borrowed from fine art, photojournalism, and police archival photography. Amelia Arenas wrote and directs the work, which is the first in a three-part series – the next two installations are inspired by Augustine of Hippo and the early career of Sigmund Freud. Friday, 7 p.m., Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St. at Seventh Avenue, 212-620-5000 ext. 318, $25. Additional performances: Thursday, November 11, 7 p.m., Saturday, November 13, 2 p.m.

SOUTH AFRICAN STAGE The South African lyric theater company Dimpho Di Kopane makes its New York debut with a series of four multilingual productions performed in repertory. First up is “Yiimimangaliso (The Mysteries),” which is based on versions of Bible stories that cropped up during the 12th century in street theater throughout Europe. The production’s music comes from Xhosa, Afrikaans, Zulu, and Dutch sources. Opens: Friday, 8 p.m. Series: Friday through Sunday, November 28, days and times vary, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Synod Hall, 1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th Street, 212-932-7314 for information, 212-581-1212 for tickets, $50 general, $25 seniors and students.

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