Siren Nation Fall in Portland is prime time for lady-centric festivals. You already know what’s on the docket for the newly-rebranded All Jane Comedy Fest, and now Siren Nation’s released the lineup for their ninth annual music and arts fest. Behold the wonder that awaits us November 4, including a delightful-sounding comedy night featuring Karinda […]
Artsy
Posted inArtsy
The Week in Art: Elena Ferrante, Corrib Theatre’s Little Gem, and Lauren Groff’s Duplicitous Novel About Marriage
Europa Editions Don’t be fooled by the bad stock-art cover: Elena Ferrante is a literary beast. ELENA FERRANTE—My predecessor, Alison Hallett, and Perfect Day Publishing’s Michael Heald tried to explain why Elena Ferrante is such a literary sensation on the occasion of her new book, the final Neapolitan Novel, The Story of the Lost Child. […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Remembering Oregon Actress Catherine E. Coulson, Twin Peaks‘ Beloved Log Lady
MB Catherine E. Coulson, on one of Copy Chief Courtney Ferguson’s Twin Peaks trading cards. I am in mourning today for Oregon actress Catherine E. Coulson, aka the Log Lady from Twin Peaks, one of the greatest characters to ever grace television with her kooky premonitions and admonishments. Coulson, who died yesterday at age 71, […]
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The Week in Art: New Books from Anna Ehrlemark and Valeria Luiselli, Plus Easter Plays and 17th-Century Spies
Floating World Comics Anna Ehrlemark’s Winners WINNERS—Suzette Smith reviewed Anna Ehrlemark’s Winners, a collection of new and old comics just released by Portland’s own Floating World. Suzette says of the Swedish comics artist: “Ehrlemark gives the impression of being a tireless traveler, rolling a cigarette and speaking perfectly in multiple languages. Her thick-inked comics run […]
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Between Satire and Sincerity: Michelle Ellsworth’s Briefing on the End of Men
Briana Cerezo Michelle Ellsworth, followed by her “Male-Gaze Simulator,” in Preparation for the Obsolescence of the Y Chromosome. A sassy New York Times editorial by Maureen Dowd about the evolutionary shrinking of the Y chromosome, coupled with the death of a friend’s father, got Michelle Ellsworth asking, “What will be missed when men are gone?” […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
The Absurd Joy of French Metalheads and a Touring Amusement Park in La Mélancolie des Dragons
Courtesy PICA/Martin Argyroglo Philippe Quesne’s La Mélancolie des Dragons “Large scale theater work” is how TBA described Philippe Quesne’s newest production, La Mélancolie des Dragons. It’s fair enough, I suppose—it would be hard to call it a “play,” exactly, lacking as it is in traditional conflict and plot. And while it feels elaborate (a car […]
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Back to Nature with Night Tripper‘s Forest Ritual
Courtesy PICA/Florian Rainer Night Tripper‘s forest ritual. About halfway through last night’s TBA Performance Night Tripper, I was convinced I was caught in a spell. The contemporary dance and music piece developed by Signe Beckwer, Ingri Fiksdal and Ingvild Langgård/Phaedra takes place in a forest setting, in this case a meadow in Northwest Portland’s Forest […]
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Subverting Cultural Expectations with Purposeful Confusion in Dana Michel’s Yellow Towel
Courtesy PICA/Ian Douglas Dana Michel The final of image of Dana Michel’s Yellow Towel has been playing on my mind since Saturday night’s TBA performance. Before the final lights went down, the audience was drawn to Michel, crouched in the front corner of the stage, a long tan weave-like fabric attached to her head with […]
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Dynasty Handbag’s Delusions and Grandeur
Courtesy of Paula Court / PICA Dynasty Handbag is here to entertain. Dynasty Handbag makes a one-woman show look good—in the tackiest way possible. Her performance, Good Morning Evening Feelings, was delivered to a sold-out house at Disjecta on Thursday. In case you’re wondering, “Dynasty Handbag” is the alter ego of Los Angeles-based artist Jibz […]
Posted inFashion
New In: Fashion/Retail/Design News with Design Week Portland, Gretchen Jones, ADX, & Schmidt’s
• The sprawling, annual Design Week Portland festival is due for its fourth appearance, but for its fourth edition it’s moving the main event to spring: April 15-23, to be precise. However, they’re not leaving you completely hanging this fall, either, with a much smaller string of open houses, talks, and other doings scheduled Oct […]
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B-Boys Deconstruct Gender in Amy O’Neal’s Opposing Forces
Courtesy PICA/Bruce Clayton Tom “Is it okay to cry at movies?” That’s the improbable question that echoes over the speakers towards the beginning of Amy O’Neal’s Opposing Forces, which opens with five B-boys performing precise choreography on a stage emblazoned with a slick geometric pattern. The performance begins like a party—the show I went to […]
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Pictures of the Moon with Teeth: TBA’s Visual Art Tackles Spirits and Space
TBA is over halfway through, but you still have plenty of time to catch their visual art component of the festival, which runs through October 11. Pictures of the Moon with Teeth tackles the “spirit,” playing with scale and expectation. The work that fills 2500 NE Sandy comes from 10 different artists, but shares a […]