BUMBERSHOOT 2010

 

Woke up early and passed the morning away. Natasha made Latkes for breakfast. A new dish for me in my life. Good for an Irish spud farmer.

Had the lunch later on and headed off to the Seattle Center to go to Bumbershoot. Parked up on Ward and 2nd. Walked down and inside we go.  First up was Star Anna. She had good reviews and was compared to Brandi.

Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs  
http://staranna.com/fr_home.cfm

Mike McCready from Pearl Jam came on for a few songs. He livened it up a bit.

Then we headed over to te Northwest Rooms to see what art was on display there.

Portrait Challenge
One page, one picture of a notable model, six empty boxes and a challenge to draw the model. This is the essence of the Portrait Challenge, started in 2002 by artist and security chief at the Frye Art Museum, Ryan Molenkamp; it was originally conceived as a fun way for security staff to combat the somewhat slow pace of their job. Besides Frye security guards, participants over the years have ranged from trained artists like Mark Ryden, Jennifer Zwick and Cait Willis, to folks with no artistic training whatsoever, all stepping up equally to the challenge. Bumbershoot attendees will have the opportunity to draw their unique interpretation, insightful caricatures, or just silly pictures and conceptual musings of the model, or opt to participate as the model and see how other people draw their portrait.

Debbie Harry done in tape reel

Sounds Human
Sounds Human highlights developments of sound in new media, as artists seek to create independent beings so evolved they are able to communicate with humans in shared terms. This exhibit investigates developments ranging from robotics to new responses in obsolete media. Sounds Human includes renowned artists and innovators such as Trimpin, Hugo Solis, Victoria Haven, Erika Simmons, Ariane Michel, Signal to Noise, and Paul Rucker. Featuring Shimon – The Improvising Robotic Musician by Gil Weinberg, Guy Hoffman, and Ryan Nikolaidis of Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology, and Roberto Aimi of Alium Labs. Sounds Human is made possible in part by 911 Media Arts Center with funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

The Bumbershoot Piece 2010
 Artist Jonathan Brilliant’s The Bumbershoot Piece will be a new site-specific, site-responsive installation created entirely onsite in response to the unique architecture of the given space. The physical material for the piece will be thousands of wooden coffee stir sticks interlaced and held together by tension. These materials make reference to the role of the archetypal British artist who gathers materials from the surrounding environment. In this role, Brilliant envisions his natural environment as the modern coffee shop where materials foraged include to-go coffee cups and all of the accoutrements, which are then woven into his sculptural installations. The Bumbershoot Piece is part of the series titled “Have Sticks Will Travel World Tour.”

COUNTERCULTURE COMIX: A 30-Year Survey of Seattle Alternative Cartoonists
This retrospective examines the Northwest’s legacy as the birthplace of alternative comics (aka comix). Beginning with the work of Lynda Barry circa 1980, and running through today, the emphasis is on the role of comix in Seattle’s youth movement of the ’90s that went on to influence global popular culture. Curated by Larry Reid in conjunction with Fantagraphics Books, this exhibit features original artwork on display together with demonstrations by Friends of the Nib and Bureau of Drawers, as well as screenings of Hooked on Comix. Artists include Lynda Barry, Charles Burns, Peter Bagge, Jim Woodring, Ellen Forney, Patrick Moriarity, Mark Zingarelli, Roberta Gregory, Megan Kelso, Jim Blanchard, David Lasky, Justin Hampton, Ted Jouflas, and others.

Seattle Street Biennale 2010
Seattle Street Biennale 2010 is a selection of Seattle’s most respected street talent, featuring large site-specific works by Katsu, Aerub, Ego, Angel, Baldman Watching, and Joey Nix. Other local artists including No Touching Ground, Blink, 1+1=3, Seed, Run, Tred, Pars, Specs One, Gretchen Bennet, NC 17, Soup, and Dymes will contribute smaller pieces, making this an installation that takes viewers on a visual experience that is confusing and beautiful. Reflecting the vast subculture known as street art, the methods employed span from spray paint to wheat paste. The show also features videos from Marshal “Stack” Reid and Jetpack highlighting Seattle street art locations and artists, along with a special edition of Seattle Graf Rag compiled by Basso Fibonacci.

Then back to the Starbuck Stage to see The Maldives.

The Maldives
http://themaldivesmusic.com/

We eat our dinner here.

Still at The Starbuck Stage we see Justin Towne Earl

Justin Townes Earl
http://www.justintownesearle.com/

He looks like the lad in the painting 6 photos up from here.

Next we go on a walkabout again before we head over to the Stadium Main Stage. We see The Decemberists here.

The Decemberists   http://www.decemberists.com/

Followed by Neko Case.

Neko Case  
http://www.nekocase.com/

Then on came the man we had come to see. Bob Dylan. The last time we saw him was bak in 1998 at The Gorge with Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell

Bob Dylan http://www.bobdylan.com/

We walked back to the car after the days events.

Met Anne B., Donegal and Dinny here today. Had fun with them. This day was not as good as last year here. Dylan’s voice has gotten more gravelier and he has lost some of his drive but this is him. 

 Home and lights out.