THE PROJECTS – international festival of experimental comics and

THE PROJECTS – international festival of experimental
comics and narrative arts, October 19-21
THE PROJECTS is a new international festival of experimental comics and narrative arts
in Portland, October 19-21, 2012.
http://theprojectspdx.tumblr.com/
The Projects brings together experimental artists from Europe, North America, and
Portland for three days of workshops, exhibitions, panels, performances, collaborative
projects, and intensive creative mayhem! Guest artists will be creating various projects
during the course of the weekend and visitors are invited to join in the fray. The Projects
is designed for collaboration, connection, inspiration, experimentation and play, leaving
behind the festival model of comics as commerce. Gone are the tables and the sales pitch
– instead, a party!
The Projects is free and open to all (with the exception of Sunday night at Holocene,
which is 21 and over).
Program Overview
WORKSHOPS
(Fri/Sat/Sun 1-4 pm, Independent Publishing Resource Center, 1001 SE Division)
Various free workshops on screenprinting, book-making, collaborative drawing, and
more.
French artist collective/publishers, Le Dernier Cri, offer a rare opportunity to work with
them during a 3-day screenprinting workshop. Local printer, Eberhardt Press, will present
an informative workshop on book binding/making.
PROJECTS
(Sat/Sun,1-8 pm, IPRC)
A number of the guest artists have designed interactive projects that all visitors are
encouraged to participate in.
• The Sumi Ink Club presented by Alex Chiu – Portland hosts the legendary Los Angeles
group drawing project. Grab a brush, and pour some ink in a cup!
•Igor Hofbauer – Giant paint-by-numbers mural by the Croatian avant-garde graphic
artist
• Bwana Spoons – Halloween Monster Photo Op
• Anonymous – Choose Your Own Adventure writing project
• Taleen Kalenderian – Free Write Shop. Everyone brings an older work–a sentence, a
picture, whatever and puts it in the communal inspiration pot. Then people draw
something out and see where it takes them
• Duskin Drum – Drum brings his Chinese street art project “sad penguins” to Portland
with a sad penguin draw-in, creating hundreds of sad penguins soon to populate the
Portland streets. “It might not be all about climate. Some penguins just feel sorry for the
human people.”
• DIY Magic – Design your own Tarot deck with Anthony Alvarado
• DMTV – Floating World’s yearly animation fest will be presented in a slightly different
form at The Projects. There will be a screening room set up with various animations
scheduled at different times throughout the weekend.
• and more!
PANELS
(Sat/Sun 4-5:30 pm, IPRC)
Conversations with artists and discussions about topics in experimental narrative arts.
GRIDLORDS
(Sat/Sun 5.45-7:45pm, IPRC)
Gridlords is a monthly comics club that brings together indie comics creators for
readings, interviews, and multimedia presentations. They will be hosting a number of
panels including readings by Chris Cilla, Matthew Thurber, Erik Nebel, Jesse McManus,
Austin English, Clara Bessijele Johansson, Sean Christensen ABT with Magic Caves &
Allie Hankins, Kevin Hooyman, Julia Gfrörer & Allie Hankins, Maia Bambu & Pulse
Emitter, Keenan Keller and more!
EXHIBITIONS
(Gallery Homeland, 2505 SE 11th Ave )
A retrospective exhibition of Le Dernier Cri and Igor Hofbauer. Screenprints, originals
and various books from the artists exhibiting.
EVENING PROGRAMS
Friday 6-8pm, Floating World Comics, 400 NW Couch St. – Book release and signing
with Jonny Negron & Sammy Harkham, plus a group interview with Harkham, Negron,
Jason T. Miles, and Chris Cilla. Followed by a house party at ‘Mike’s Basement’ with
live music by Le Dernier Cri, The Tenses, and Matthew Thurber.
Friday 9 pm – 2 am, Mike’s Basement, Pakito Bolino ( of LE DERNIER CRI, Marseille,
FR ), The Tenses ( PDX ), Ambergris ( NYC ),
Saturday 9:30pm, Hollywood Theater, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. – Plink Flojd animation
screening, live music by Regular Music and Nice Nice, presented by E*rock
Sunday 9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St. – Closing party presented by
Experimental Half Hour, live music by Atole, Good Night Billygoat, Apartment Fox and
Wild Thing.v
POP-UP SHOP
You don’t have to sit behind a table – we’ll handle that!
There will be a pop up shop at the IPRC where artists can sell their books and zines.
However space will be limited and we require that you email us in advance to reserve a
spot for your book, and also to enter your information into our inventory system. We may
not have room to accommodate everything, but you’re welcome to bring anything you
like and trade freely with others. Plan on doing early setup on Thursday Oct. 18th or
Friday Oct. 19th (before noon) at the IPRC. There may not be room for all of your books,
try to limit selection to 3 or 4 of your best titles. We’ll have 3-5 copies of each title on
display, feel free to bring your own overstock so we can restock as books sell out.
You get 100% of your sales (minus any credit card processing fees). But you need to
email me with the following information:
TITLE, QUANTITY, PRICE, YOUR NAME
Please email: jason (at) floatingworldcomics.com with the subject line: PROJECTS POP
UP SHOP.
Guest list (so far)
Aaron Kaneshiro (SF)_Alex Chiu (PDX)_Angie Wang (PDX)_Anna Ehrlemark
(Sweden)_Austin English (NY)_Bwana Spoons (PDX)_Clara Bessijele Johansson
(Sweden/USA)_Drippy Bone Books (LA)_Dunja Jankovic (Croatia/USA)_Duskin Drum
(Pacific Rim)_Experimental Half Hour (PDX)_Frank Santoro (NY)_Gridlords
(PDX)_Igor Hofbauer (Croatia)_Jason Miles (Seattle)_Jesse McManus (Portland)_Jonny
Negron (NY)_Kevin Hooyman (NY/Providence)_Lale Westvind (NY)_Le Dernier Cri
(France)_Maia Bambul (Germany/USA)_Matthew Thurber (NY)_Max Clotfelter
(Seattle)_ Plink Flojd (PDX/NY/Spain)_Press Gang (Portland)_Profanity Hill
(Seattle)_Sammy Harkham (LA)_Skinner (SAC)_Steven Weissman (LA)_Taleen
Kalendarian (LA)
MORE INFORMATION
The Projects is modeled on a new breed of European comics festivals that put creativity
and connection at the forefront (festivals such as: Novo Doba in Belgrade, Serbia; Crack!
in Rome; _kver in Mali Lo_inj, Croatia; and Ligatura in Poznan, Poland). These festivals
create an intimate and stimulating environment for artists from different cities, countries,
and generations to work together and share ideas. Fundamentally, this is not a
commercial activity and although books and objects are bought and sold, the emphasis of
the event is to make art, experiment, and play.
The Projects is co-organized by Jason Leivian (owner of Floating World Comics), Dunja
Jankovic (creator of _kver festival, comics author, and instructor of comics at the IPRC),
and Lisa Mangum (owner of OKO and Thurman Street Studios and instructor of comics
at IPRC).
Special thanks to our sponsors: IPRC, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Blossoming Louts,
Sizzle Pie, Hollywood Theater, Gallery Homeland, Floating World Comics, Eberhardt
Press, SCRAP, Trader Joe’s and everyone who contributed to the Kickstarter.
http://floatingworldcomics.com/
http://novodobafestival.net/
http://skver-art.com/
http://iprc.org/
http://tripica.org/
http://okogallery.com/
http://drippybonebooks.com/
http://profanityhill.blogspot.com/