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New Seattle Art Fair Artistic Director on Exploring the Good, Bad and Ugly of Tech

Philly native Nato Thompson says this year’s fourth annual expo will explore changing forces within Seattle’s art scene

art-machine

This article originally appeared in the August 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the August 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.

“I know deeply how important it is to develop a complex cultural economy to support the arts. The Seattle Art Fair has given me the platform to do something that speaks to a broader community outside the traditional gallery or museum setting. Since Seattle is famously the home of many internet and tech companies, I’m eager to highlight work that is thinking through the good, bad and ugly of these profound, world-changing forces. These programming highlights include a prototype of artist Trevor Paglen’s satellite, ‘Orbital Reflector,’ that he’s launching into space at the end of the summer; Heather Dewey-Hagborg’s installation ‘Probably Chelsea,’ which features algorithmically generated masks of [transgender activist] Chelsea Manning using her DNA; and performances by machines made by [artist and inventor] Mark Pauline’s Survival Research Laboratories.”

8/2–8/5. Times and prices vary. CenturyLink Field Event Center, downtown, 1000 Occidental Ave. S; 212.518.6912; seattleartfair.com

 

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way. 

What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common?  According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot.  “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.

The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture.  This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.

Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…