RACC Press Releases
November 14 , 2007
Jellyfish Temple 1.1: How to Make Something from Nothing
at the Portland Building
November 19 – December 14, 2007
The Regional Arts & Culture Council presents the installation, Jellyfish Temple 1.1, by Portland artists Gary Wiseman and T. Reginald Bluebell (a.k.a. Ephemeral Temple Ltd.) in the Portland Building Installation Space, November 19-December 14, 2007. The Portland Building, located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue, is open to the public from 7am - 6pm, Monday through Friday.
Jellyfish Temple 1.1 is the first in a series of works by Ephemeral Temple Ltd. that explores the possibility of creating sacred space among “the ashes and wastelands of our current sacred landscapes.” With this work they are considering such questions as “Can a sacred space be created anywhere at any time? Is isolation or solitude an important component of the sacred experience? If temples or altars were made today (to anything other than commerce), what would they be made of? Would these temples be permanent or temporary? Would they be small or large, portable or stationary?”
The first structure in this series, featured in this installation, is built from recycled Styrofoam packaging and other ephemeral materials. A video of jellyfish swimming (complements of the Oregon Coast Aquarium) will appear on one wall of the temple. The paradoxical characteristics of the jellyfish – its fragility, resilience, beauty and somewhat surreal existence -- address the questions the artists pose about sacred space. The artists point out that meditation rooms in Japan often contain giant aquariums and recent scientific inquiries link watching fish swim to reduced anxiety and increased feelings of relaxation. Viewers will be able to peer into this structure to view this dreamlike video and draw their own conclusions.
Background
In 2006 Gary Wiseman began organizing and hosting the Tea Project: Renegade Tea Parties, a series of interactive performances throughout the Portland area (and one in Brooklyn, NY). He also formed Kitchen Sink PDX, a series of interdisciplinary art events designed to facilitate collaboration and dialogue across disciplines within the creative community.
Upcoming installations: all the art that fits (City/County employee art exhibit), December 20-January 25, 2008; Becca Bernstein, February 4-29, 2008; and Marie Watt, March 10-April 4, 2008. For more information, contact RACC at 503.823.5111.
A new Request for Proposals for July 2008 to June 2009 is available on-line at www.racc.org. The deadline for submissions is December 10, 2008. A new website that features images, proposals and statements of all 105 installations featured in the space since 1994 can be found at www.racc.org/installationspace.
Through vision, leadership and service the Regional Arts
& Culture Council works to integrate arts and culture in all aspects of
community life.
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RACC Staff to Contact
Jeff Hawthorne
Director of Community Affairs
503.823.5258
jhawthorne@racc.org
Mary Bauer
Communications Associate
503.823.5426
mbauer@racc.org
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