TBA performances are winding down this week, so it seems safe to say: GERMINAL has to be one of the best performances of the festival this year. GERMINAL is a piece of theater, created by Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort, that probably shouldn’t work. (I’m not sure what I like more: this performance, or the […]
Artsy
Posted inArtsy
It’s Happening Tonight!
SPORTS—Sure, you’ve been complaining all summer about the awful heat. But once the rain comes, you’ll be sad about that, too—secretly wishing you’d had just a little bit more fun in the sun. Head off those regrets while you still can! Come play and drink (and win cash-money prizes) at Kicktoberfest, the Mercury‘s inaugural (and […]
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A Gossip-Free Recap of “All the Sex I’ve Ever Had”
Photo by Lucia Eggenhoffer At the beginning of Mammalian Diving Reflex’s new show “All the Sex I’ve Ever Had,” the audience was asked to stand and take a pledge not to gossip. For the next two hours, a panel of Portland’s friskiest seniors would describe, year by year, their sexual history. With admirable, impossible candor, […]
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Jack Ferver Hosts an Artist Q&A You’d Actually Want to Attend
PICA/Ian Douglas “Ask me about ‘Return to Oz’!” “I never wanna stay for the Q&A.” That’s how Jack Ferver opened his TBA performance, “Mon, Ma, Mes,” at Ecotrust last night. And why would he? At worst, post-show Q&As can seem like exercises in cruelty*. So I have to admit, the conceit of Ferver’s performance—an artist […]
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TBA Highlights: GHOST PARTY, Music Makes Us Feel Things, & Gender Performances
A drag show inspired by (WHAT ELSE) Paris Is Burning, adult ghost dress-up time, and sounds that make us feel present in our bodies or just confused—if you haven’t been to PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival yet, here’s what you’ve been missing: Pat Moran Ghosting. Alison Hallet was a pink ghost in Not About Face, Luke […]
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TBA Opening Night: Flashlight Filmstrips & Glitter Glue
With so much hipness, drinking, and so many white balloons in one industrial space, opening night of PICA’s Timed-Based Art Festival gave me serious art school flashbacks. THEESatisfaction were on point, and Portland’s Portraitist Michael Horwitz was drawing people in exchange for $5 in front of a gently-scrawled sign warning that “Glitter glue takes a […]
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Hello, I’m Your New Arts Editor!
Pleased to meet you! Hello! I’m Megan, your new arts editor. I moved here from Seattle about five minutes ago, and I’m so excited to start writing about books and visual art and pop culture here at the Mercury. Before landing here, I obtained two (2) useless English degrees, forced art school freshmen to read […]
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TBA:14, the Pre-Game
It’s hard to believe, given the endless summer, that it’s almost time to pull your head out of that can of Ranier you’re floating down a river with and put your Art Pants on. But lo, TBA:14 kicks off TOMORROW! If you’ve yet to peruse this year’s offerings, you’re late! Luckily we’ll have our own […]
Posted inBooks
Patrick Rothfuss Coming to Portland
Here’s some good news, fans of fantasy books and readings that are actually entertaining: Best-selling fantasy mega-author Patrick Rothfuss is coming to the Newmark Theatre on October 28. (If you need some brushing up on your best-selling fantasy mega-authors, here’s the Mercury‘s 2011 interview with Rothfuss.) He’ll be in town to read from his new […]
Posted inFashion
Adam Arnold Has Taken over the Fashion Safehouse at MoCC
While the Museum of Contemporary Craft’s Fashioning Cascadia exhibit has almost a month left to go in its run, most of its associated events, residencies, and lectures have already passed. Over the course of the summer its visiting artists have created a “Fashion Safehouse”—a physical studio space within the exhibit that has been added to […]
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Design Week Portland: Time to Plan
Ah yes, the edification of early fall in Portland, with TBA‘s ponderous challenges and—as of a couple short years ago—the network-y expo of regional talent that is Design Week Portland. While you were barbequing hot dogs on Monday, registration for this year’s events (running October 4-11) opened, which means it’s time to peruse the schedule […]
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There Needs To Be More Forest For The Trees
The Portland mural extravaganza Forest For The Trees wrapped up last week and the whole city is roughly 3% cooler because of it. I absolutely love this project. It feels mischievous and whimsical at the same time, which I enjoy. I especially enjoyed it because I was out of town for the week of the […]