August 2006 Archives

Jeff Jahn at the local blog PORT recently posted about TBA artist David Eckard's own blog chronicling the development of his soon-to-be revealed performance contraption, Float. One part logistics, one part meditation on his historical sources, and one part humorous account of the obstacles of artistic creation, Eckard's writing reads well and provides an insider's preview of just one of the opening night events. Eckard's great unveiling will come after John King, as the parade of revelers marches from downtown across the Willamette to the Works. Until then, you can read more here or follow directly at Eckard's blog. It's certainly sure to be one of the more baroque moments of TBA...

posted by Patrick Leonard

Looking beyond PICA's TBA Festival, here's the first word about the second annual Runway to Rooftop fashion show benefiting Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. The show, sponsored in part by Nordstrom will feature, according to the press release, designs from Nordstrom’s “via C” department (which might include anything from D&G by Dolce & Gabbana and Catherine Malandrino to Prairie Underground...stay tuned while we nail down those all-important details). It goes down Saturday, September 23, at 6:30 PM in the Wieden + Kennedy Atrium, followed by a rooftop party with food, drink, and shopping. Tickets are $100, and of the many ways you could donate to PICA, or any other arts institution in town, this one is shaping up to be right up our alley.

-Lisa Radon
Ultra PDX
http://ultrapdx.com/index_html/archive/2006/08/17/first-word-runway-to-rooftop-v2

U L T R A
ultra is the who, what, and where of fashion, style, design, and culture for Portland.

PICA's Time Based Art Festival starts the first week of September.
http://www.pica.org/tba

As tickets are really starting to move, I was just figuring out how I could see as much of everything as possible, get from one venue to another, and leave time for snacks and transportation between events...

It is going to be yet another AMAZING line-up!
Thank you PICA!

Here is the schedule, so that you can find a path that will entertain you...
http://www.fhzal.com/works/060907

You can purchase tickets via phone: 503.224.7422 or on-line:
http://www.ticketweb.com/user/?region=oregon&query=schedule&attract=204807

Ciao,
Fredrick H. Zal
Architect | Sculptor | Advocate
www.fhzal.com

I think I remember hearing my grandfather (God rest his soul) talk about having seen Kiki and Herb perform at the Coconut Club in Guam, back when he was stationed there in the late fifties. Of course I could be wrong. Gramps was a bit of a mumbler and one hell of a storyteller. Still, the silk hanky monogrammed with a florid “K,” that he carried in his back pocket until his death, raises some questions... To say the least.

At any rate, the legendary duo are still alive and kicking, despite the promise they made to die after their performance at Carnegie Hall. Presently, Kiki and Herb are performing on Broadway. The show, “Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway,” received a fawning review in yesterday’s edition of a little cultural rag called the New York Times. On the NYT website you can read the review and watch an audio slide show, narrated by the amazing Kiki herself.

The wearily glimmering musical pair will be performing their Broadway show until Sept. 10th, after which, they will make their way to Portland to perform for a breathless TBA crowd. No wonder they’re tired. I must say, though, after reading the NYT article, it sounds as if the show will be nothing less than brilliant.

Posted by P.A. Coleman

When I learned that Laurie Anderson would be performing for the TBA festival this year, my reaction was something like- “Are you effing serious?” You see, I have this bad habit of crudely asking people to confirm the factuality of things they have just told me... Things which I find amazing or unlikely. As it turned out, yes, they were effing serious.

I don’t know when I was first exposed to Laurie Andersons work. I believe it must have been when I was a young artist, gestating in Southern Oregon. The first thing I remember hearing was “Sweaters” from the Big Science album. I was immediately taken by the lyrics and the grating whine of the song. Shortly after that, I bought Big Science (hallelujah, yodel-eh-he-hoo) and played it for everyone I knew. I was further hooked after watching the concert video Home of the Brave, based on performances from her Mr. Heartbreak tour.

I don’t think there is a modern performance artist who has been more inventive and innovative with sound and electronics than Laurie Anderson. This inventiveness, combined with her enigmatic, thought provoking and often humorous prose and poetry results in, at least for me, a total emersion into a strange world of light and sound which operates on a completely unique set of rules. That is a vague description, I know...

So lately, partly in order to solidify my description of the Laurie Anderson experience and partly to prime myself for seeing her on stage, I have been delving into all things Laurie. I have pulled out my five LP copy of United States Live, listening intently from the comfort of my nagauhide recliner. I have rented Home of the Brave (again) and I have poured over the official Laurie Anderson web site. But the most fascinating thing I have come across, web-wise, is the unofficial Laurie Anderson web site and its bizarre FAQ (frequently asked questions) section, which includes answers to all your burning questions like, “What is the song that goes ha ha ha ha ha ha?” and “I've heard that LA [Laurie Anderson] is going to open an amusement park in Spain. Is this true?”

Whether or not LA is going to open a theme park in Spain, the fact remains she is going to perform The End of the Moon, Sept 8th and 9th at the Newmark theatre. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You shouldn’t miss it either, in my humble opinion.

posted by P.A. Coleman

It's already begun. Late nights staying up, leafing through my dog-eared copy of the TBA guide, marking and re-marking which events to attend and in what order. ("How fast could I run between events on opposite sides of town without looking like a lunatic?" has been a question at the forefront of my mind.) However, once the festival begins, I won't have much of a reprieve from these restless nights planning - they'll simply be replaced by the sleep-depriving performance glory that is the WORKS.

AudioCinema pre-TBA. Photo courtesy of AudioCinema

For those of you who haven't been to TBA before, the WORKS is, simply put, where all of the festival converges. Where else can you buy a beer for the hardworking PICA staff (which you certainly should do), nosh on deliriously good late-night snacks from what always proves to be an exciting kitchen, talk with friends, volunteers, and performers (!) about what you've seen and, if you're lucky, catch a surprise performance or two by festival participants who drop by for a late-late night drink? Nowhere else.

That is why it is so hard to find much time for sleep during the 10 explosive days of the festival. From film to dance to drag to cabaret to puppets to simply great music that makes you move, I can't even begin to pick standouts from amongst the line-up performing each night. And to top it all off, every performance is intimate - the stage and the crowd coalesce into one beautiful whole. Whether the performers are crooning to you or sweating for you, it is always entertaining, always unpredictable and always the venue where performers and audiences alike come to have fun and lose sleep.

Posted by Patrick Leonard

There is so much about TBA that is unique and challenging... Often, it isn't just the art. With so much to see in so many different venues around our fair city, sometimes the most challenging aspect of the festival is getting from one place to another with time enough to find a seat and leaf through the program. There is a certain amount of excitement in blindly and breathlessly hurrying from a dance performance across town to the experimental film that you absolutely have to see; nevertheless, it helps to have a game plan. In the game plan spirit, here’s some helpful information about traversing Portland. If you are an adventure seeker, read no further.

Modes of Movement:

Walk
The cheapest, healthiest and, at times, slowest way to get from venue to venue is on foot. It should be noted that Portland is a pedestrian friendly town. The sidewalks are more than accommodating for a fast “walg” (that is walk+jog) between venues in close proximity to one another. Traveling on ones own pegs is particularly pleasurable between Conduit (918 SW Yamhill, Suite 401), the Whitsell Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum (226 SE Madison), the Portland Center for the Performing Arts (1111 SW Broadway), and the Lincoln Performance Hall (1620 SW Park). These venues are in easy walking distance of one another and are separated by the South Park Blocks, one of the jewels of Portland. Incidentally, the trees in the South Parks Blocks are estimated to be worth a cool 3.4 million dollars. Breath in the opulence between shows. Both SW Park and SW 9th travel the length of the South Park Blocks. All the above venues are located along (or close to) SW Park or SW 9th. Travel time between these venues will be easily less than 10 minutes.

Bike
The “on foot” approach works well for the South Park Block venues, but some of the performance spaces are a bit farther afield. It would be nice if we were all like David Eckard and could float between venues via the main artery of the city, the Willamette river, using a “fire adorned ‘carriage’...” Unfortunately many of us lack the ingenuity or vision for such a feat. However, for those of an athletic constitution, a bicycle may be just the thing to traverse those long distances. Lucky for these folks, Portland is as friendly to bicycle riders as it is to pedestrians. With proper use of bike lanes, one of the longest jaunts between venues, a trip between the Corberry Press building (NW 17th & Northrup) to the Works (226 SE Madison), should not take more than an hour. In fact, if a person on two wheels uses the East Side Esplanade, it’s practically a straight shot to TBA’s interim late night cabaret cum dance club. From the west side, the Esplanade can be reached via the Steel Bridge off of NW Glisan or the Hawthorne bridge. Both of these river crossings offer plenty of room for pedalers and great views of the water and the city. For the web savvy bicyclist, maps of bike lanes can be purchased from Portland Metro. However, for truly mind-blowing bike trip planning, you can’t beat Portland’s bike routes as seen on Google Earth. With this exhilarating, but kind of creepy, satellite powered technology, you can zero in and fly over your route with ease. Download all you need from Metro right here.

Bus
If you’d rather not hoof-it or pedal-it between venues, Portland offers TriMet, one of the best public transportation systems in the US. This is one of the faster methods of getting from place to place. Travel time between venues (plus waiting for buses, streetcars, etc.) should not take more than 40 minutes. You can plan your trip on the TriMet Website. Although it is free to travel within a sizable portion of the city, known as fareless square, travel to destinations outside of this area will cost from $.80 for “honored citizens” to $1.70 for adults. A seven day pass can be purchased for $16.50 from any ticket kiosk.
There are some TriMet routes of particular interest: The Czech republic built Portland Streetcar winds its leisurely way through downtown Portland and passes within two blocks of Ace Hotel Annex (403 SW 10th Ave), Conduit (918 SW Yamhill, Suite 401), Corberry Press (NW 17th-18th & Northrup), Ecotrust (721 NW 9th Ave), Pacific Northwest College of Art (1241 NW Johnson), Lincoln Hall (1620 SW Park), Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium at Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park), and the Wieden+Kennedy Atrium / TBA Central (224 NW 13th Ave). The only draw-back of the streetcar is its speed. Which is to say, it doesn’t really have any. So if you aren’t in a particular hurry, give it a shot. Some of the more “out-of-the-way” venues can be reached easily by Tri Met. For instance, the Artist Reparatory Theatre Second Stage (1516 SW Alder) can be reached via any westbound Max train- Get off on the 16th Ave stop and walk one block north. The Northwest Neighborhood Cultural Center (1819 NW Everett) can be reached by a number 17 bus- get off at the NW Everett and 18th stop. The Someday Lounge (125 NW 5th Ave) is right on the transit mall. Disjecta (230 E Burnside) can be reached via any number 12, 19 or 20 bus- get off at E Burnside & NE Grand and walk a couple of blocks west to NE 2nd. You will find yourself at a small doorway at the base of a large building, beneath the Burnside bridge. Do not be afraid.

Cab
For those who feel frightened or otherwise inconvenienced by public transportation, there are many taxi services which will take you to your destination for a (questionably) reasonable fee. Keep in mind that cabs may charge extra for parties consisting of two or more people.

Drive
For those who would rather drive, despite the steep increase in oil prices, please keep in mind that Portland streets will likely be clogged from 4PM to 6PM most weekdays. This is of special concern when considering those performances which take place around the 6 o’clock hour. Also, understand that parking around some of these venues is limited and can wind up being a particularly frustrating and expensive venture. Please note that parking in the large parking lot beside Disjecta will likely get you towed.

All roads lead to the Works:

After a day of lectures, workshops and amazing, stultifying, awe inspiring, mind boggling, sometimes incomprehensible performance art, there is no place better to de-brief, de-compress and de-soberize (read: get jiggy), than the TBA’s interim night club and “secret lair,” AKA the Works. The easiest way to get to the Works from anywhere on the west side of the city is to find the Hawthorne bridge, cross it and follow the sound of revelry. You can take any number 4, 6, 10, 14, 31, 32, or 33 bus to the stop on the east end of the Hawthorne bridge. From there it is a short walk down a few stairs to the party. Bicyclists can use the afore mentioned East Side Esplanade, while walkers can cross the river on the Hawthorne bridge at a more leisurely pace. Travelers on the east side need only to find the river (you can’t miss it) and follow it toward Madison via the Esplanade or SE Water Street. When you get there, say “hello” to your fellow audience members, kiss an artist, have a drink, some conversation and please... Get home safely.

posted by P.A. Coleman

I’d been hearing whispers about this holy grail of performance festivals for some time. Even before I moved to Portland.

“It’s like if you took all of the Walker Art Center’s programming and shoved it into ten days,” they said in Minneapolis. “Except there’s better music.”

The timing could not have been more perfect. I drove into Portland last summer after three months in a tent, drunk on nature and starving for a city. But as fate would have it I was ripped from my new home on September 8, 2005 to drive across the country and officiate at the ill-advised and ill-timed wedding of a relative.

But now my year of waiting is tantalizingly close to an end. Of course I’m excited to take in all the performances, but what really gets me swooning and shaking and sweating into my day planner are the workshops. The emphasis on improvisation is right up my alley, but still intimidating. Should I go to the intermediate/advanced workshops if I’m on the intermediate (really beginner if we’re being honest) side of things in terms of dance technique, but advanced in terms of improvisation? If I bow down in front of Deborah Hay will I look like a total tool? And the biggest question of all: How does working full time fit into all this self-indulgent workshop-hopping?

It’s one thing (and a great thing) to present work to an audience, but it’s another (very generous thing) to offer to teach whoever shows up something of your craft. I love the mystery of open workshops with sketchy, barely descriptive titles. I love the attention of a large group of strangers all inspired by what they saw last night or anticipating the thrill of this night’s performance. I love these things. And they scare me to death.

posted by Maesie Speer

mindblowing cheap stage effects
aerialists
leading boylesque performer
force of nature!
Hoontown Puppet Festival (Bangkok)
"modern lexicon of suburban hell"
artist-as-fighter
Slovak-born

professional statistician
intellectual property law
diorama
form one super-party
formal evening of R. Kelly songs
Songs to Drown By

under east end of Hawthorne Bridge
night vision apparatus
improvised wetland
songbirds crafted from flammable magnesium tape
NASA's first artist in residence
formation of gilded megaphones
simulated flight suits
rocket chairs
flying and falling
perpetual and physical limitations

Zoom, zoom. Yeah, I'll go.

posted by Kirsten Collins

Brede Rorstad is a quiet force composing, conducting and collaborating his way through his latest project the Music Population Orchestra. Last week the MPO took to the streets, their brilliant noise fighting against the din of first thursday traffic and chattering.

Photo by Amy Morisse

Read Brede's thoughts on the performance, and while you are there check out 15 a mini music sampling which makes a 15 seconds seem full of purpose and potential.

MPO opens the TBA 06 Festival with a FREE CONCERT at the WORKS, Sept 7 at 8pm.

Kristan Kennedy

posted by laurabecker

man, i love portland. the beers, the books, the blissful progressive spirit and the beauty that is the pacific northwest. combine all that with the fact that this seems like the only part of america that isn't melting as we speak - and really, what's not to love?

i feel like every summer when i return to these typepad pages, things around us just keep getting worse. last year it was katrina, before that it was the foreboding doom of the re-(stealing of the) election, and this year - well this year it's just a major global shitstorm.

but, but (thank god there's a but) for ten days our city that i am so proud of and so in love with gets to welcome our national and international cohorts, protect them and ourselves in an artistic shield of inspiration, imagination and energy, and use our creative surge of perspective to think back and look ahead with balance and an increased sense of community.

people, this is a good thing.

as each year i rely more and more on tba to get me through the dark clouds of craziness around us i just feel so lucky to have it to look forward to and remember all year long. whether it's a secret smile about those crazy lone twins, or a shudder of excitement for a dance performance that requires night vision goggles (!!!), i just can't focus enough on time based art - as both a fun distraction and as an annual treat for some serious pondering. cause really, there's not much else i wanna ponder (or can even deal with) right now.

i don't want to miss one moment of it. cause when the times are telling you to live life to the fullest, these are the moments that they mean.