Sitting with Ghosts, day II (originally posted June 1, 2006)

I have a new project that I am very excited about called “The Great Northwest.”  A few years ago I found an amazing scrap-book that was made by four middle-aged single women from Seattle who went on an epic road-trip through the Pacific Northwest in 1958. They drove over 3,200 miles, through Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon, taking photos and collecting postcards, brochures, menus, receipts, and all sorts of ephemera- all of which they carefully arranged in this scrap book at the completion of their journey.

“The Great Northwest” is a 76 minute experimental documentary and photo-series that chronicles my attempt at re-creating their road-trip.  I spent over a month on the road, following their route as closely as possible, and attempted to find and document every stop that they had documented. Here is a short excerpt that follows the women’s adventures in Yellowstone National Park.

There have obviously been many big changes since the ladies made their road trip, but at the same time much seems relatively intact. The most obvious and immediate change to have hit the natural landscape is the addition of the Interstate Highway System, as I-90, I-84, and I-5 have essentially carved out three new massive rivers through the region. Urban centers such as Seattle, Portland, and Spokane have sprouted sky-scrappers and hefty suburban growth, while other towns such as Vantage and Taft no longer exist at all; one being flooded by Columbia River damming and the other paved over by Interstate 90. But while many towns have experienced massive change, carefully preserved towns such as Wallace, Idaho, and steadfast tourist attractions such as the Oregon Coast’s Sea Lion Caves seem almost stuck in time except for perhaps a few new layers of paint.

This was a really fun project to work on. If nothing else it broadened my understanding of this region and made me ever more proud to call the Pacific Northwest home. My hope is that I have helped preserve and expand upon an important historical document. The scrapbook is a time capsule- it is evidence of memories that remind us how fragile history is. I think my ultimate ‘dream’ with this project would be to have someone re-recreate it in another 50 years.

I am often asked if I ever found the women who originally made the scrap-book, and I have to admit that I did a bit of looking around, but after finding death records for two of them I decided it was better to just leave it be. The scrapbook is full of mystery, and not all of it needs to be solved.

The Great Northwest will be on display in Portland at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery through April 2nd. The Project was made possible by generous grants from The Regional Arts and Culture Council and the Oregon Media Arts Fellowship. More info about the project can also be found on my website at www.rodeofilmco.com

I made this funny little video with Bryan Boyce a couple weeks ago and since then it’s been making some rounds on the internet.  James Mercer plays the “stunt-mouth.”  (no members of Hall and Oates or Broken Bells were harmed in the making of this video)

Some Days are Better than Others

OPENING NIGHT! Bruce Conner: In Memoriam
Co-presented by PDX Fest, NWFC and Cinema Project
We are honored to open PDX Fest 2009 with a very special tribute screening to California artist and filmmaker Bruce Conner (1933-2008). Conner was the modern master of found footage filmmaking. During his 40-year career–first as a pioneer of assemblage art and then as a heralded moving-image maker–he created a unique body of work that examined American society with wit and clarity of vision. His carefully edited montage films, informed by his sculptural practice, draw upon sources as varied as educational films, newsreel footage and television commercials, finding new power and associations in discarded or forgotten images. We welcome Michelle Silva, a representative of the Conner Family Estate, for this special program of works that resonate in surprising ways with American popular culture. Clinton Street Theater May 6th, 7:30
Featured Artist: Peggy Ahwesh
Co-presented by Cinema Project
PDX Fest is incredibly excited to welcome avant-garde filmmaking veteran Peggy Ahwesh to Portland to present a mini-retrospective of film and video works from throughout her 35+ year career. Aptly described as a bricoleur, Peggy works in a combination of narrative and documentary styles, improvisational performance, found footage, noise and nonsense, utilizing a variety of obsolete, low-end and arcane technologies. Peggy will be sharing some of her rarely screened early super 8 work as well as some of her more recent forays into the digital realm. Her work as an actor will also be on display at the festival in Deliver, Jennifer Montgomery’s all-woman remake of Deliverance (screening May 10th, 1PM). Peggy plays the role made famous by Burt Reynolds in the original film. While in town for the festival, Peggy will also be teaching a workshop on techniques of improvisation for filmmakers (NWFC School of Film, May 10th). Clinton Street Theater May 8th, 7:30

Featured Artist: Ben Coonley
An evening of pranks, postmodern revisions and 3D fun will be in store as festival featured guest Ben Coonley presents an entertaining evening of his off the wall new media and video art pieces. Ben’s work dismantles and rearranges texts and subtexts of contemporary media culture, often to hilarious effect. Ben will share selections from his varied body of work including the world premiere of a documentary begun as a teenager in 1990 as well as a new “avant-PowerPoint” performance! Ben will also be teaching a Do It Yourself 3D moviemaking workshop over the weekend (NWFC School of Film, May 9th). Clinton Street Theater May 7th, 7:00
RiP! A Remix Manifesto
We are very excited to present Brett Gaylor’s very timely feature documentary exploring the concept of copyright in the era of Napster, Bit Torrent and peer-to-peer file sharing. Using mash up artist Girl Talk as the film’s protagonist, Gaylor takes us on an enthralling journey into the complex world of copyright protection in the midst of a rising generation of steady downloaders. Serving as a rallying cry for the pioneers of a new fair use culture of samplers, remixers, and reinventors, RiP! is an entertaining, upbeat and downright inspiring vision of an open source future. Clinton Street Theater May 7th, 9:00

The Experimental Filmmaker Karaoke Throwdown! Take II! at Holocene
Co-presented by Disjecta
The Experimental Filmmaker Karaoke Throwdown is back for the sequel to last year’s premiere event. After the raging success of last year’s Throwdown – which featured a stand out performance of Xanadu by Tara Jane O’Neil as well as a full audience sing along to Total Eclipse of the Heart – we are taking the party to Holocene this year. We’re back with a brand new katalog of karaoke klassics featuring homemade karaoke videos from our favorite filmmakers including Shana Moulton, Ben Russell, Jeanne Liotta, and Bryan Boyce. Plus, we will also have Rush-N-Disco, Hooliganship and DJ BJ in the house to keep the party rockin’ till the breaka dawn. Ahhhh Yeahhhhh! Holocene May 8th, doors open at 9PM, 21+

The 2009 Peripheral Produce Invitational
The Peripheral Produce Invitational (dubbed the ‘World Championship of Experimental Cinema’) will once again pit filmmakers from Portland and beyond against each other in a rock-em-sock-em, trash talkin’ competitive film showdown. Last year’s reigning champ Orland Nutt is back to defend his title but a gang of bloodthirsty challengers are ready to give him a run for his money. Who will walk away with the trophy this year? With all the filmmakers in attendance and the audience deciding who wins, you never know what will happen in this battle-royale of experimental film. Come join us and let your vote count in selecting this year’s winner! Clinton Street Theater May 9th, 8:30
CLOSING NIGHT! O’er The Land
PDX Fest closes with a loud BANG as we present the Portland premiere of Deborah Stratman’s new 16mm feature, O’er The Land. This gorgeous experimental documentary has been wowing audiences from Sundance to Rotterdam this year. Simultaneously a critique of violence, a rumination upon our national psyche, and a ritualized celebration of colossal forces beyond our control, Deborah Stratman’s new film explores the ways Americans have come to understand freedom and the increasingly technological reiterations of manifest destiny. Combining high school Friday night football games, Revolutionary War re-enactments, automatic weapon conventions, and a gut wrenching story of survival by a fighter jet pilot, Stratman has crafted a stunning and powerful portrait of our cultural psyche. Clinton Street Theater May 10th, 8:00

BUM EQUIPMENT: The PDX Fest Video Installation Exhibit at galleryHomeland
For this year’s PDX Fest, Peter Burr conjured a Cartune Xprez installation showcase featuring work by over 20 artists from around the world. Featuring over 50 monitors, this program takes place in three distinct parts equalling one heavy dose of the video-world unraveled. Single channel video loops, interactive homemade video games, and sculptural installation pieces all comprise this stunning exhibition of modern psychedelia. Opening night party will feature live musical performances and other surprises!
OPENING NIGHT PARTY: May 6th 7PM – 12AM with live performances starting at 9PM
REGULAR VIEWING HOURS: May 7th – 24th from 12PM – 6PM, Thursday through Monday
PLUS new films and videos from a ton of amazing filmmakers (many of whom will be in attendance!) including Lee Anne Schmitt, Michael Gitlin, Rebecca Baron, Adele Horne, Roger Beebe, Sam Green, and Jennifer Montgomery! PLUS PLUS workshops, parties, surprise performances AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!
For the complete PDX Fest 2009 Schedule, ticketing info and last minute updates head to: www.pdxfilmfest.com

Hazel performing at La Luna / 1996 from matt mccormick.

Rumsfeld Rules…

and his Karaoke video for Highway to Hell!

The final show of the season was an anticipated one. A line wrapped around the building and the 122-seat theatre was easily packed. After suffering an injury from a fall earlier this year, Marta elected to continue the season’s performance schedule but changed the show to the “Sitting Down Show” in which she sat in a chair on stage and chronicled the history of the opera and the numerous show’s that she has presented over the past four decades. While getting the rundown of the performances was interesting, I was much more interested in hearing her talk about her own life and motivations. Involved in theatre and dance since her early childhood, it was clear that Marta had dreams and ambitions for the big-time, but perhaps started feeling worn out by the competitive wear and tear of trying to make it on Broadway. “The most rewarding things I have done in my life are the things that nobody asked me to do,” she said as she looked back. That, I thought, was a great thing to be reminded of.

We very nearly didn’t make it to the opera: as we were on the road and about half way to Death Valley, Meg got a call from her pregnant sister saying that she had gone into labor (a couple weeks earlier then expected) so we turned around and headed back to Oregon. Meg’s sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy a couple hours after we arrived, and once everything settled down with that Meg and I figured out that if we got in the car and drove pretty much non-stop back towards Death Valley we’d get to the opera just in time. We rushed down, arriving in Death Valley Junction less then an hour before curtains. After the performance, Marta sat in the audience to answer questions and sign autographs. We told her about our journey and Meg’s new nephew and Marta seemed genuinely touched; yet another little piece to go along with a long history of magic.