shenanigans and such • by Bridget Irish

New blog launched: HIKE ART!

2011-08-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hike Art

"a site to share art and stuff
made or found while out in nature"

http://hikeart.blogspot.com/

please, check it out, and send in some stuff to post!

(info for submissions is in sidebar)

best wishes,

Bridget

"Reclining Nude" -- Moran State Park, Orcas Island

photo by Bridget Irish, 2011

New painting in group show at The Northern - Opening July 20th (Weds), 6pm

2011-07-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'll have a new painting, "A Song of Summer for My Sister" (2011, acrylic/latex house paint on canvas, 30x40 inches), hanging in the "Summer in Olympia"-themed group art show at the Northern - http://www.northernolympia.org/ - July-August 2011.

This show is formally titled: "Hey Folks We Made It... and Now It's Over" because, sadly, the Northern is closing and this will be its final art show.

Opening: Weds, July 20th, 6pm

The Northern - 321 4th Ave - downtown Olympia

Curated by Amanda Davis, this exhibit will also feature work by Vanessa Lang, Reid Urban, Jean Nagai, Elise Harper, Joey MacGregor, Jahla Brown, Dylan Sharp, Jonah Trople, Olivia Samples, Kate Robinson, and others!

Two new photo postcards - just in time for Lakefair!

2011-07-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of older images which are now hot-off-the-press postcards!

4x6 inches on 15pt heavy-duty card stock, with rounded corners, and a matte finish.

For more info, please contact postcardsbybridgetirish (at) gmail (dot) com.

(Please do not copy and/or use these images without permission - thank you!)

Capitol Lake (during Lakefair)

- - - part of the "miniaturized" Olympia scenes series - - -

(no caption)

Photo Postcards Now Available at Select Shops in Downtown Olympia!

2011-06-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

A variety of photo postcards now available at Compass Rose, Ginger Street, and Orca Books, in beautiful downtown Olympia. For more information, please contact: postcardsbybridgetirish (at) gmail (dot) com...
(All images below by Bridget Irish - please do not copy and/or use without permission - thanks so much!)

Percival Landing, Budd Bay - Olympia, WA (2008)

Capitol Lake and 4th Ave Bridge - Olympia, WA

Sunrise Silhouette - Olympia, WA

Spider Lake - Mason County, WA

Newsstand vendor - NYC, NY

Selling Postcards at the Artists' Garage Sale this Saturday, May 21st, 10am-3pm, Olympia

2011-05-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

I am finally having some of my photos made into postcards! It's very exciting and I look forward to unveiling them at the Artists' Garage Sale this Saturday, May 21st (at the Armory on Legion in downtown Olympia).

The event runs from 10am to 3pm and is sponsored by POSSCA, a fantastic Olympia-based non-profit that makes it possible for youth to participate in K-12 arts programs: http://www.possca.org/

In addition to this inaugural selection of 5 different photo-based postcards (please see below), I will also have a selection of hand-drawn one-of-a-kind postcards available for purchase.

ALSO - I'll be sharing my booth with the amazing Sarah Adams - community events organizer extraordinaire, seamstress, and fellow artist. She'll be offering handmade clothing, sewing equipment, and other gems from her studio and home.

AND Sarah Utter will also have a booth, representin' Olympia's Community Print, and may have some of her own gorgeous work for sale as well...

Hope to see you there!

All photographs below by Bridget Irish - please do not copy and/or use without permission - for inquiries regarding wholesale or retail purchase, please contact: postcardsbybridgetirish (at) gmail.com - thanks so much!

4th Avenue Bridge - Olympia, WA

Sunrise Silhouette - Olympia, WA

Newspaper vendor - NYC, NY

Percival Landing, Budd Bay - Olympia, WA (2008)

Spider Lake, WA
- the mirroring effect is natural, the lake was so still that day.

Sixshot Snapshot Show @ Capitol Theater - on exhibit now through February 26, 2011

2011-01-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

I'm one of six artists participating in a group snapshot photography show at the historic Capitol Theater's Mezzanine Gallery, located in downtown Olympia at 206 5th Ave SE.

Fellow local artists include Mezzanine Gallery curator Ira Coyne, Jennyrose Wright, Judith Baumann, Isaac Overcast, and one outta-towner, Ira's friend, Conrad Carlson, who lives in NYC.

Rather than an opening, we'll be having a closing reception,
Saturday, Feb 26th - time TBA.

As this image-based installation is in a movie theater,
I selected shots with the potential for resembling film stills,
either in the sense of "the film" itself or behind-the-scenes.
(But yes, there a few pet portraits tossed in the mix.)

Taken with a no-brand point-and-shoot and 35mm film (usually Fuji),
many of these snapshots have not been previously exhibited
- a collection of apparent "outtakes" taken circa late-1990s to 2005, or so.
Viewed collectively or individually, these images pose interesting narrative possibilities, threading through and crossing over one another...

When I view a photograph, the snapshot in particular,
I'm drawn to and interested in what is framed,
but perhaps more so in what is going on beyond the frame
- there is that within the frame from which a conclusion may be drawn,
or is it just the beginning, the opening line, to a larger story?

I hope you get a chance to stop by the theater to see all these compelling tiny tales told through the kaleidoscopic lens of six different hearts and minds...

A few clay animal sculptures...

2011-01-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

These are three small clay pieces I made during one of my volunteer shifts at the Tacoma Art Museum's Open Art Studio - two rabbits and a hedgehog-but-transformed-into-armadillo. I haven't worked with clay in forever, it's so much fun! At TAM's art studio, one can also do drawing, painting, printmaking, and jewelry-making!

Before I took on a regular shift with the Open Art Studio, I did a few shifts in the gallery taking photos of visitors as part of the photo-based exhibit, Mighty Tacoma: Picture Yourself Here: http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/Page.aspx?cid=6403

The Mighty Tacoma exhibit will be up through April, so stop on by and get pictured, then pop in the art studio for some art making of your own!

Acting blue in a new film by Jason Gutz

2011-01-25T14:28:00.000-08:00

Back in December, I got to play play "Blue", one of the three primary colors characters representing Kodachrome for a new work by Jason Gutz. Jason is an avant-grade/experimental filmmaker based in Tacoma. He's been working on a film having to do with the end of Kodachrome film, both production and processing. The film's release is TBA, though Jason may be screening works-in-progress here and there.

me as "Blue"

Kodachrome (aka K40), a color reversal still and moving image film stock, was introduced in the early 1930s. The stock produced sweet saturated color and rich reds in particular, but the processing required more heavily toxic chemicals than most other film stocks.

By the late 1990s, the last place in the States to provide a "true" Kodachrome processing was in Texas. After that lab closed, one had to send film all the way to Switzerland, but they soon stopped as well. Following rumored threats over the last 15 years or so to discontinue this amazing-looking yet environmentally-damaging stock, Kodak stopped producing Kodachrome in 2009.

Heather Hall as "Red"

And the last place to get it processed at all in the world up until December 30th, 2010, was Dwayne's Photo in Kansas (although Dwayne's website states they were Kodak-certified, in my view, their production resulted in almost muted colors, more resembling ektachrome.)

Heather and I furthered our costumes' use by continuing to wear them all the way home from Tacoma to Olympia, stopping at a Starbucks and Jack-in-the-Box along the way - but that's a whole 'nother story...

Destroy All Movies!!! Punks on Film...

2010-12-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

My friends, Bryan Connolly and Zack Carlson, spent more than 5 years getting this book together and it's finally hit the shelves and is making its way 'round the world!

There are a gajillion reviews, written mostly by co-editors Carlson and Connolly, and I had the opportunity to write some up too, including reviews for a few of my favorite films such as Times Square, Cronenberg's The Fly, and Batman Returns. The other movies I wrote about are: 200 Cigarettes, The Commitments, Godard's Detective, The Mask, Shady, Tokyo Pop, and Trainspotting.

The book is a gorgeous and hefty tome that not only provides an extensive and almost exhaustive record of punk appearances in world cinema, but is a testament to what depths Connolly, Carlson, and fellow contributors dove to mine this collection for presentation in one well-illustrated and super entertaining publication.

Available from publishers, Fantagraphics Books (in Seattle), Amazon, and hopefully a bookstore or library near you...

http://www.punksonfilm.com/

Olympia Film Festival just around the corner!

2010-10-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

www.olympiafilmfestival.org
November 11th - 20th, 2010

I'm volunteering with and screening in the Oly Fest once again...

VOLUNTEERING: The new "SPONSORSHIP VIDEO PROJECT"
I'm co-coordinating an exciting pilot project with this year's Festival Director, Sarah Adams, where we've matched local film and video artists with local businesses who are sponsoring various films and events throughout the Festival. These short pieces will screen before the film or event that the business is sponsoring. Some artists participating include Bridget O'Brien-Smith, Ryan Converse, and Brian Fligner - the creator of one of my all-time favorite animated shorts, Discovering Simon: http://vimeo.com/6565324.

SCREENING IN THE PROGRAM: "R.I.P. KODACHROME"
happening at The Northern - Nov 17th, Weds, 5:30pm:
http://www.olympiafilmfestival.org/special-events/r-i-p-kodachrome/
- - curated by the amazing Olympia-based animator extraordinaire, Devon Damonte: http://www.devonimation.com/

SCREENING IN THE PROGRAM: "THE BOTANY OF ANIMATION"
I'm also registered for a wonderful hands-on workshop with visiting New York-based filmmaker, Caryn Cline: "Botanicalistas: Direct Animation with Petals and other Plant Parts"
http://www.olympiafilmfestival.org/special-events/botanicalistas-direct-animation-with-petals-and-other-plants-parts/

Workshop participants will create a film together which will screen the following day at The Northern - Nov 14th, Sunday, 3pm:
http://www.olympiafilmfestival.org/special-events/the-botany-of-animation/

sweet summary & insights by Tobi Vail about the Girls to the Front book event at the Olympia Library...

2010-10-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

http://jigsawunderground.blogspot.com/2010/10/girls-to-front-book-tour.html

(below article & photo excerpts re-posted from Tobi Vail's blog: J I G S A W)

(left-right) Diana Arens, Michelle Noel, Tobi Vail, Akiko Carver, Sara Marcus

(l-r) Sara Peté, Bridget Irish, Billy Karren

Packed house at the Olympia Timberland Library! Sash Sunday on left.

Article by Tobi Vail
Photos by Kelsey Smith

Last night in Olympia a bunch of "old school Olympia riot grrrls" participated in a panel discussion at the library organized by Sara Peté as a part of The Girls To The Front Book Tour with visiting author, Sara Marcus. I was nervous and didn't really want to do it, but I wanted Michelle Noel and Angie Hart to do it, so I agreed. I really hate public speaking, getting my picture taken and doing anything in front of an audience without my drum set (I like to play guitar and sing but always get really bad stage fright). I also feel way more comfortable writing than talking and generally do most interviews via the written word. But I thought about it and participating in this kind of local, living history is an important part of living in a community. Plus I really wanted to hear what the other panelists had to say and I had things I wanted to say. So I sucked it up, put on some lipstick, a bit of eyeliner and my favorite Ramones T Shirt (that was my mom's when I was in Middle School) and forced myself out of the house and into the streets. As I was walking to the library, I realized I had so much stage fright that I thought I might throw up, but when I got there, I just kept thinking, this is Olympia you can do this, and ignored all the cameras that were being set up, trying not to think "this awkward moment of your life will now be on youtube forever".

At first everyone introduced themselves. Olympia artist Bridget Irish started. She talked about being a film person and working at Evergreen on visual media arts in the early 90's, mentioning that at the time, there was a generation gap happening between the older feminists and the younger ones. I wish she had gotten to talk more about that, because I don't actually know that history very well. She then mentioned she had been in a band during the Tropicana era (84/85) in Olympia (the all-girl, mostly acapela group Rain Shadow with Nicole and Lisa) and that she had also sang in The Slattenlies (with Maggie Vail, Jessica Espeleta and Natalie Cox) in the mid-90's.

Next up was Billy Karren, guitarist of Bikini Kill, who wanted to come and share his experience of having witnessed the (pre)meeting before the first riot grrrl meeting, which took place in Malcolm X park in Washington DC, June 1991 (I was there too but I let Bill tell the story, he generally has a better memory than me). He asked how many people in the room had been to a riot grrl meeting and not that many people raised their hand (I think many of them were toddlers in the early 90's) and he said "ok, I see we have a lot of work to do", which I thought was pretty funny and got a few laughs.

Then it was Diana Arens turn, who was the program director at KAOS during the early 90s. She talked about having to defend the existence of a show called Riot Grrl Radio, the details are fuzzy in my mind, but the story involved Calvin Johnson backing her up and some ruffled feathers about a bluegrass show being moved to a different time slot. One of the points she made was that there is room for a men's movement or as (I think) Calvin said, a whole day of programming by for and about men, so really no one needs to get upset when someone decides to showcase music made by women. Diana used to do the amazing Free Things Are Cool radio show, which had many live bands play on the air over the years. Diana also does sound and knows how to record bands, so she talked about that a little bit.

Michelle Noel, one of my good friends that I still hang out with from that time period, came next. Michelle talked about why she moved from Tacoma to Olympia in the early 90's, one of the reasons being that people in Olympia weren't all on heroin and she wanted to go to college. I remember Michelle from The Community World Theater days in Tacoma in the late 80's. She was supportive of girls in bands early on. When she was talking a bunch of memories came flooding back into my head. I remember having a conversation with her about an article I wrote in the first Bikini Kill fanzine in early 1991. We were in the bathroom at Evergreen on the third floor of the library building. As I remember it, we were at a Nirvana show, but that might not be right because there were many shows back then and they all blur together in my mind. Michelle told me she read the article I wrote about Yoko Ono, where I talk about how "the yoko ono myth" is something (straight) guys in bands impose onto their girlfriends. This is the girlfriend-as-distraction idea, where the girl(friend) is always the opposite of the band, the domestic partner, the threat to The Beatles, the weird, eccentric, irrational force that might break up his band. While this is happening, it's not only totally obnoxious, but oppressive-- because your identity is framed in relation to his identity, you are seen as the opposite of his band and by extension, the opposite of any band, so the likelihood that you would ever start your own band is not even an idea in your mind, because girl(friend)=opposite of someone in a band. Michelle liked the article a lot and we had a pretty intense talk in the bathroom, a female space away from the male-dominated show happening a few feet away from us. I think I gave her my fanzine Jigsaw soon after that and invited her to my radio show, or maybe she was already volunteering at KAOS, anyhow we ended up doing a show together called Jigsaw Radio for that year and for a few short weeks played together in a version of Bratmobile. Later Michelle got her own radio show, which she did for years, started setting up shows and became one of the driving forces behind the local Olympia music festival, Yo Yo A Go Go. I don't know if Michelle said any of that, but I was thinking of it all when she was talking, being transported back to that time period and feeling very nervous that I was sitting there in front of so many people.

Then it was my turn. I introduced myself and said something about how I was really happy that Bridget Irish had come to talk because in 1985 I taped her band playing live on KAOS, memorized all the lyrics and showed up at their first (and only) show ever, knowing all the words, which had totally freaked them out. I still sing those songs in my head! I don't think I said this, but I was trying to evoke that there was a continuum from the early 80's Olympia scene and the early 90's era, as a lot of people don't know any of this history, so I wanted to share at least some of it.

Next up was Akiko Carver, who said that she was younger than all of us and wasn't as involved. I remember Akiko as being a totally radical riot grrl who brought issues of race and elitism to the forefront of the discussion, pushing for a more inclusive vision and praxis. I might have her confused with her old friend Cindy Hales, because I didn't know either of them very well at the time and they used to always hang out together. In the late 90's Akiko was in the band Semi-Automatic and today plays in an experimental group called Gentle with Marissa Handren. I think she played with Ari Up from the Slits for awhile when she lived in Brooklyn, but maybe they were just friends. I know Akiko (or was it Cindy) was at the final Bratmobile show in New York City, where they broke up on stage, and that there was some kind of anti-racist action that happened at the show that she may have been involved in, but that didn't come up during the panel and I didn't really know the details so I didn't bring it up, though Sara Marcus does write a bit about this in her book.

Then Sash Sunday introduced herself, saying that going to riot grrrl meetings was an important part of her life when she was in high school, growing up in Olympia and that it still really meant a lot to her today, that it really helped her get through her own teen years. I thought a little bit about what that would have been like if I had had something like that happening when I was a teen, wondering if my experience had been that much different than hers.

At this point Sara Marcus read a bit of the introduction from her book, where she talked about her own discovery of riot grrrl. Although Marcus grew up in a suburb of DC, she found out about riot grrrl from an article in Newsweek magazine. I really like the parts of Girls To The Front where she talks about her own experience. After the panel was over, I asked her if she felt comfortable writing in that voice, and she said that she most definitely did not and will not be reading that part of the book in front of people on the rest of the tour, but she thought that since everyone else was putting themselves on the line and making themselves vulnerable, it was appropriate for her to do the same and that is why she included a bit of her own story in the book. I thought that was really thoughtful of her and appreciated it a lot.

The rest of the panel is kind of a blur in my mind. People asked questions, we rambled on about the difference between that time period and today (the internet being an obviously huge difference and the one we mainly focused on). At one point someone asked a question about trans involvement in riot grrrl. I was asked this question before a few years ago by a classmate of mine when I went back to school. I said this last night, but I will say it again here because I'm not sure what the answer is to that question. As I remember it, in the early 90's there was not a lot of trans visibility within punk or even within feminism. I don't know if it's because it wasn't on my radar because of my own ignorance or what, but I don't remember. What I didn't say but thought about later, that maybe I could have said, is that anytime Bikini Kill played a show, no matter where we were in the world, if there were any genderqueer/trans/gay teens and/or radical lesbians in the punk scene, they would be up front at our show and the whole night would be for those kids. Those were the Bikini Kill fans! But as for riot grrrl I'm not really sure. It is a good point to bring up because not everyone did feel included in riot grrl. I have tried to talk about this before, but in fact there were times that I didn't feel included in riot grrl and that wasn't always for non-political reasons, sometimes I actually felt alienated from the politics of it. Anyhow I tried to say this during the talk, but I'm not sure what I actually said.

It is important to ask who felt included in riot grrl and who didn't. It was not for everybody. There was this idea that it was inclusive because "anybody could do it" and anybody got to decide what a riot grrl was (in theory at least), but because not everyone has equal access to information, resources and leisure time, dominant hierarchies reproduced themselves in riot grrl, just as they have throughout the history of feminism. This would have been a good point to bring a discussion of race and class into play and I was hoping that would come up in one of the questions, but it didn't really come up. This made me go home and look for this cool article that Mimi Nguyen wrote about race and riot grrrl, where she says:

I want to reconsider what we meant when we said “community,” “safe space,” and of course, “the personal is political,” because somewhere along the way, the utopian impulse broke down and something dangerous happened. See, the assumption of safety is all too often an assumption of sameness, and that sameness in riot grrrl -and in other feminist spaces– depended upon a transcendent “girl love” that acknowledged difference but only so far. That is, in the process of translating the urgencies of political realities into accessible terms of personal relevance, a fundamental misrecognition occurs that ruptured riot grrrl’s fabrication of a singularity of female/feminist community. It was assumed that riot grrrl was, for once, for the first time, a level playing field for all women involved, regardless or in spite of differences of class or race. But what became painfully clear, for those of us in the midst of the fray, was this: that the central issues was not one of merely acknowledging difference,” but how and which differences were recognized and duly engaged.

So today I am thinking about that. Please post your thoughts in the comments!

After the panel local queer feminist band Blood Bones played their set!

Participating in panel tonight: Girls to the Front, the first-ever history of Riot Grrrl

2010-10-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today: Tuesday, Oct 12th, 8:30pm-10:30pm
Downtown Olympia library, 313 8th Ave SE

"Girls to the Front, the first-ever history of Riot Grrrl, is a lyrical, punk-infused narrative about a group of extraordinary young women coming of age angrily, collectively, and publicly. Join author Sara Marcus and a panel of original Olympia Riot Grrrls as they discuss and answer questions about this movement that began in the early 1990s. A live performance by local queer feminist band Blood Bones will follow! Orca Books will be on hand to sell copies of Girls to the Front. The library is normally closed at this time and will be open only for the event.

This is a library program and it will start ON TIME so don't be late!"

- - Event organized by librarian extraordinaire, Sara Peté

Olympia Fall Arts Walk Tonight! Friday, Oct 1st, 5pm-10pm

2010-10-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few suggestions for tonight's Arts Walk:

-- the Olympia Film Society/Capitol Theater is screening animations
by the legendary Marge Brown and other local filmmakers,
with local Flamenco performers and musicians taking the stage after
FOR FULL EVENT DESCRIPTION:
http://www.olympiafilmsociety.org/calendar/index.php?event_action=View&eid=1656&instance=2010-10-1

-- OFS is also holding a Silent Art Auction
here's a link to the catalog (downloadable PDF):
http://www.olympiafilmsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/ofs-art-auction-catalog.pdf

I made 3 small paintings especially for the auction. This triptych is titled SHAMROCK, and is intended to resemble film frames excerpted from a camera-less or direct/painted-on-film animation type piece (each "frame" is 3x5 inches, acrylic on canvas).

-- and speaking of direct animation - don't miss the projection stylins of Devon Damonte and Eric Ostrowski! They'll be performing at Devon's
Adams Street Storefront studio 'round nightfall... (Adams & 4th)

See you in the streets!

"Cruising the Urban Inferno" screening at the Ellensburg Film Festival - Oct 3rd

2010-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

as part of the Live Action Shorts Program
Oct 3rd, Sunday, 4:30pm @ the SURC Theater
http://www.ellensburgfilmfestival.com/films.html

CRUISING THE URBAN INFERNO FROM THE 4^th FLOOR
2009 / 3:57 minutes / featuring music by SEDAN

Cruising the Urban Inferno from the 4^th Floor is a city portrait and stop-motion/time-lapse animation composed from over 2,000 digital photographs, shot over 4 days, from a 4^th floor room at the Patricia Inn, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Each photo was taken by hand (rather than remote), which also involved physically maneuvering the camera during various shots to achieve particular visual effects such as "swirling" and superimposition. Editing was performed in-camera.

“Cruising the urban inferno” is taken from Susan Sontag's essay, Melancholy Objects, and is in reference to Baudelaire’s concept of the flâneur, or one who voyeuristically strolls through city streets. The area in which I was staying is an intersection between Chinatown and Gastown, on the edge of the downtown core, and home to many non-profit organizations that provide assistance to the drug users, sex workers, impoverished, and homeless who congregate or reside there. The street and alleyway I have documented in particular feature some of these individuals, including needle exchange volunteers. With this in mind, and careful observation, the viewer can glimpse various interactions and activities that are characteristic of and commonplace in this particular section of Vancouver.

SEDAN is Danny Sasaki on drums and Scott Seckington on piano
www.myspace.com/sedansedan

October is quickly approaching!

2010-09-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

and with it my favorite holiday... Halloween!

I know it's a little early, but Halloween heralds
the sweet segue from autumn to winter for me.

I also love Halloween as a celebrated occasion rich in tradition and activities
- superstitions, storytelling, costuming and disguise,
pranking, delightful and frightful glowing jack-o-lanterns,
delicious pumpkin pie, cavorting and snickering in the dark
- it's the only holiday, besides Easter, that's both scary and hilarious!

Donated new paintings to local non-profit art auctions

2010-09-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a few years, but I'm trying my hand at painting again.

The pieces shown here were inspired by and made for particular non-profit organizations' upcoming fund-raising events - a tree for GRuB, and a triptych of "abstract film frames" paintings for the Olympia Film Society.

I just started volunteering with GRuB, Garden Raised Bounty, last month - what a fantastic organization! (I've heard the "u" stands for "urban" or "you".) Their silent art auction is happening today at Olympia's beautiful Schmidt Mansion, across from the Olympia Brewery:
http://www.goodgrub.org/soiree

This small 5x5 acrylic latex painting on canvas was inspired by an apple tree in a back corner of the farm which produces pretty delicious green fruit. As one GRuB staffer described, "they taste like fall" - and they do!

The Olympia Film Society's silent art auction is happening this upcoming Fall Arts Walk, October 1st (Friday), starting at 5pm in the mezzanine, and don't miss this chance to also see the animated films of Marge Brown and a live performance by Flamenco Luz!

http://www.olympiafilmsociety.org/calendar/index.php?event_action=view&eid=1656&instance=2010-10-1

"abstract film frames" triptych
acrylic latex on 3 each 4x5 canvas

"Cruising the Urban Inferno" screening at SIFF (Seattle Int'l Film Festival) this Weds, May 26th!

2010-05-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

May 26th, Weds, 9:30pm @ SIFF Cinema
http://www.siff.net/festival/film/programdetail.aspx?FID=166&PID=337

CRUISING THE URBAN INFERNO FROM THE 4^th FLOOR
2009 / 3:57 minutes / featuring music by SEDAN

Cruising the Urban Inferno from the 4^th Floor is a city portrait and stop-motion/time-lapse animation composed from over 2,000 digital photographs, shot over 4 days, from a 4^th floor room at the Patricia Inn, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Each photo was taken by hand (rather than remote), which also involved physically maneuvering the camera during various shots to achieve particular visual effects such as "swirling" and superimposition. Editing was performed in-camera.

“Cruising the urban inferno” is taken from Susan Sontag's essay, Melancholy Objects, and is in reference to Baudelaire’s concept of the flâneur, or one who voyeuristically strolls through city streets. The area in which I was staying is an intersection between Chinatown and Gastown, on the edge of the downtown core, and home to many non-profit organizations that provide assistance to the drug users, sex workers, impoverished, and homeless who congregate or reside there. The street and alleyway I have documented in particular feature some of these individuals, including needle exchange volunteers. With this in mind, and careful observation, the viewer can glimpse various interactions and activities that are characteristic of and commonplace in this particular section of Vancouver.

SEDAN is Danny Sasaki on drums and Scott Seckington on piano
www.myspace.com/sedansedan

"Sugar & Snails" video premiering at Olympia's Capitol Theater tomorrow during Arts Walk - Sat, April 24 - Noon-1pm

2010-04-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

My 9 year old niece, Phoenix, and I made a new video especially for
the free screening of films and videos by local artists happening at the Capitol Theater tomorrow afternoon, Noon-1pm (Saturday, April 24th):

Sugar & Snails
by Phoenix Irish & Bridget Irish
2010 / DV / Color / Sound / 3:38 minutes

"World-renown snailologist, Dr. Phoenix, takes us on a sugar-laced journey through the Westside - the seedy underbelly of Snailopolis,
cotton candy, a playground - all aboard the Spin-a-tron!"

The screening is just the start of a day-long Arts Walk event at the theater
- stick around after the films for the "Olympia Free Choir," a fun-centric
community choir, and Olympia’s own "Forever Young" a group of seniors
who show us that they too can rock!

A selection of visual art by Avanti High School students will also be featured
in the OFS Lobby Gallery and fantastic illustrative artwork by Reuben Storey
is currently on exhibit in the theater's mezzanine gallery.

Public art project: "Match Game" bench still on view in downtown Olympia at 222 Capitol Way N

2010-04-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

In 2009, I was one of 5 artists selected to decorate a bench for the downtown Olympia bench project sponsored by the PBIA (Parking & Business Improvement Area board).

The photo-based design features shots I've taken around
Olympia over the past 8 years and includes such Oly favorites as
the Artesian Well on 4th, the Farmer's Market, and Capitol Lake.

It's titled the "Match Game" because the photo montage is comprised of 28 pairs of images mixed-up on the bench so viewers can play a game by finding the matching pairs. Some are easy to find, while others present a bit of a challenge, making it a fun game for all ages.

If you haven't had a chance to check it out before, it is installed in front of the scrumptious Bread Peddler, at 222 Capitol Way N - between State and Olympia Aves, and across from the Olympia Community Center.

Solo screening (program of short work) hosted by FEMINIST FORM @ Gallery 1412, Seattle, April 24th

2010-04-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

hello, FEMINIST FORM continues next Saturday, April 24, at Gallery
1412! Please come, it would be great to see you there. And tell your
friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, lovers, teachers, partners...

Take note of our NEW LOCATION - at Gallery 1412 (Seattle)
1412 18th Avenue on Capital Hill

FEMINIST FORM
presents video and film work by:
Bridget Irish

Saturday, April 24
Doors open at 7:30pm
Screening begins at 8pm

Gallery 1412
1412 18th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122
$5 - $10 Sliding Scale

Feminist Form is happy to present film and video work
by Olympia-based artist Bridget Irish. A Northwest native,
Irish has been making short films and videos for 20 years.

For Feminist Form, Irish will be showing some rarely screened early work
on Super 8 and 16mm film, followed by more recent work on video.
Her work is primarily non-narrative and often abstract in nature,
presenting subjects through such approaches as single frame animation,
portraiture, performance, and documentary. Her artistic practice also includes
performance, photography, installation, visual art, music, and writing.

still from "Shot in Bernie's Garage" (16mm, 1991-1998)

Bridget Irish has screened, performed, and lectured nationally and
internationally, including On the Boards, 911 Media Arts, Artist's
Television Access, Tollbooth Gallery, Robert Beck Memorial Cinema,
Sarah Lawrence, UCLA, The Art Institute of Chicago, Guyana’s SASOD,
Chéries-Chéris: le Festival de Films Gays Lesbiens Trans & +++ de
Paris, Tacoma Art Museum, and the Northwest Film & Video Festival.

Bridget has curated film and video programs for Ladyfest 2000 (Olympia),
Progression Project One Conference (Boise State University), Homoagogo,
CoCA Seattle, and the Olympia Film Festival's CINE-X Series.

She performed with Dr. Frockrocket's Vivifying (Re-Animatronic) Menagerie
and Medicine Show in 2001, and the Sex Workers Art Show National Tour
in 2006 and 2007. She has taught in the areas of new media studies
and video and film production at UC Berkeley, The Olympia Film Society,
and The Evergreen State College.

One of Bridget’s newest photo-mation videos will be screening at SIFF
(Seattle Int’l Film Festival) this May, and a narrative short she
co-wrote and co-stars in will be showing at Inside Out Toronto.

More information on Bridget Irish’s work can be found at
www.bridgetirish.com, http://bridgetirish.blogspot.com,
and www.filmanddestroy.org

Feminist Form is a screening series of feminist and queer media from
the Pacific Northwest. Feminist Form continues from its new location
at Gallery 1412.

Please forward this announcement widely!

Looking forward to seeing you there.

"Cruising the Urban Inferno" screening at SIFF (Seattle Int'l Film Festival) this May!

2010-04-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

May 26th, Weds @ SIFF Cinema
http://www.siff.net/festival/prelaunch.aspx
- more details to follow!

CRUISING THE URBAN INFERNO FROM THE 4^th FLOOR
2009 / 3:57 minutes / featuring music by SEDAN

Cruising the Urban Inferno from the 4^th Floor is a city portrait and stop-motion/time-lapse animation piece composed from over 2,000 digital photographs, shot over 4 days, from a 4^th floor room at the Patricia Inn, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Each photo was taken by hand (rather than remote), with a point and shoot camera which involved physically maneuvering the camera during various shots to achieve particular visual effects such as swirling and superimposition. Editing with an intention to simulate movement was performed in-camera. Although a couple of sequence sections were shifted during the final video editing process, they are presented chronologically by day and none of the images are repeated.

“Cruising the urban inferno” is taken from Susan Sontag's essay, Melancholy Objects, and is in reference to Baudelaire’s concept of the flâneur, or one who voyeuristically strolls through city streets. The area in which I was staying is an intersection between Chinatown and Gastown, on the edge of the downtown core, and home to many non-profit organizations that provide assistance to the drug users, sex workers, impoverished, and homeless who congregate or reside there. The street and alleyway I have documented in particular feature some of these individuals, including needle exchange volunteers. With this in mind, and careful observation, the viewer can glimpse various interactions and activities that are characteristic of and commonplace in this particular section of Vancouver.

SEDAN is Danny Sasaki on drums and Scott Seckington on piano
www.myspace.com/sedansedan

HAIR ZINE - No. 1 is out now - and Issue 2 is on the way!

2010-04-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

hair
Issue One - February 2010

features interviews with
Tobi Vail, Danny Sasaki and Joaquin de la Puente,
plus haikus by Jean Nagai

Copies are available for purchase at Last Word Books (http://www.lastwordbooks.org/)
and Orca Books (http://orcabooks.com/) in Olympia,
and on-line at Ms Valerie Park Distro:
http://msvaleriepark.blogspot.com/2010/02/hair-zine.html

- it's even available for check-out from the Timberland Regional Library!

Here's what Ms Valerie Park Distro has to say about hair:
"Olympia artists Bridget Irish and Hannah Horovitz bring you a zine all about hair. Interviews ensue. Tobi Vail (Bikini Kill, Spider and the Webs), Danny Sasaki (Sedan), and Joaquin de la Puente (Olympia Film Society) all have their say. Going grey, feminism, metal dudes, skateboarding, Dippity Doo, hair donation, skinheads, racism, Judas Priest and more are covered in this surprisingly fascinating zine. There are also five haikus from Jean Nagai, a braid rubbing, idioms, and an Odyssey quote."

Issue Two is scheduled for release late April/early May,
and will feature an interview with the infamous hair stylin' maverick,
Shaun Surething, of Seagull Salon in NYC (by Lisa Darms),
as well as hair stories from Hannah's mom and dad,
Sarina Eastman's mom, and my mom!

In the meantime, you can make an appointment with Shaun here:
http://www.shaunsurething.com/cutting.html

FEMINIST FORM: a new screening series hosted by Wynne Greenwood

2009-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

and the inaugural show is a presentation of video work by:

Wynne Greenwood and K8 Hardy

Saturday, November 21
Doors open at 7:30pm
Screening begins at 8pm

Hiawatha Artist Lofts Community Room
843 Hiawatha Pl. S
Seattle

$5 - $10 Sliding Scale
Suggested Donation

Chair seating is limited, please come early if you want to sit in a chair. Plenty of floor seating.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Wynne Greenwood and K8 Hardy have been collaborating since 2002. Included in the screening will be TV Lip Sync, 2002, and two videos from their ongoing project New Report, New Report, 2005, and the documentation of the live performance New Report: Morning Edition, in which the reporters hold an intimate deliberation on the objectification of the biological female body. This is the Seattle debut of this project. (This does contain graphic imagery.)

FEMINIST FORM is a screening series of feminist and queer media from the Pacific Northwest curated and hosted by Wynne Greenwood.

If you would like to submit work for consideration, please email wynnegreenwood (at) gmail.com.

"Cruising the Urban Inferno" wins Honorable Mention at the 36th Annual Northwest Film & Video Festival!

2009-10-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

CRUISING THE URBAN INFERNO FROM THE 4^th FLOOR
2009 / 3:57 minutes / featuring music by SEDAN

Cruising the Urban Inferno from the 4^th Floor is a city portrait and stop-motion/time-lapse animation piece composed from over 2,000 digital photographs, shot over 4 days, from a 4^th floor room at the Patricia Inn, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Each photo was taken by hand (rather than remote), with a point and shoot camera which involved physically maneuvering the camera during various shots to achieve particular visual effects such as swirling and superimposition. Editing with an intention to simulate movement was performed in-camera. Although a couple of sequence sections were shifted during the final video editing process, they are presented chronologically by day and none of the images are repeated. “Cruising the urban inferno” is taken from Susan Sontag's essay, Melancholy Objects, and is in reference to Baudelaire’s concept of the flâneur, or one who voyeuristically strolls through city streets. The area in which I was staying is an intersection between Chinatown and Gastown, on the edge of the downtown core, and home to many non-profit organizations that provide assistance to the drug users, sex workers, impoverished, and homeless who congregate or reside there. The street and alleyway I have documented in particular feature some of these individuals, including needle exchange volunteers. With this in mind, and careful observation, the viewer can glimpse various interactions and activities that are characteristic of and commonplace in this particular section of Vancouver.

I've been featured on Gravel and Gold's blog!

2009-10-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Gravel & Gold is a fantastic shop in San Francisco
that sells gorgeous hand-crafted items by bay area artists
(such as Sarina Eastman!)
and some nice vintage items as well...

http://gravelandgold.com/blog/luck-of-the-irish/

Thanks to Ira for spotting this!

Showing art in Portland, Oct 22nd-Dec 29th

2009-10-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

I have two pieces in this show at Milepost 5, in Portland:
http://www.milepostfive.com/

The show features drawings inspired by the movie, Blue Velvet,
and was curated by Todd Johnson.

October 22 - December 29, 2009

Opening Reception:
Saturday, October 24 (7-9PM)

Artists:
Marty Ackley
Bridget Irish
Ryan Suther
Phil Wagner
Philip Miner
Billy Patterson
Aaron Turner
Eric Trosko

I'll be attending the reception - hope to see you there!

Arts Walk Countdown/Bench Installed...

2009-09-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Completing work for Olympia's Fall Arts Walk
this Friday, Oct 2nd, 5pm-10pm

only 2 days to go!

Showing two exhibits this year:

"It's the View" a 4-channel video installation with a mixed-media centerpiece at the MIXX 96, corner of Washington and State
and
a joint show with Jenny Macc at the historic Capitol Theater
"The Impracticality of Awareness" - knitted objects, yarn projections, and so much more!

And the "Match Game" bench has been installed just in time for Arts Walk!

As of today, it now lives in front of the Bread Peddler,
at 222 Capitol Way N - between State and Olympia Aves,

and across from the Olympia Community Center.