I'm back from my recent travels and looking forward to seeing everyone on First Thursday. A theme of technology in art has presented itself this October... something welcome when so much of the discussion of art in Portland gets bogged down in retarde definitions of hand made craft. Look, a lot of bleeding edge technology art involves a kind of craft, be it coding, the fetishing of glitches or gene splicing. "Craft" is more simply an expression of technique and sometimes tradition, whereas "Art" acts more like the absence of clear definition... a rebus we project our understanding of the world and ourselves upon (Art and Craft are not mutually exclusive of course).

That said, here are the technology art shows I suggest you see this month (PNCA's Alien She and Malia Jensen at W+K from last month are still up as well):




I can't think of anything better than the faux pop up shop Dynamic Horizons in the Everett Station Lofts at Composition Gallery to punctuate the tech theme. Described or positioned as a, "Premium trend start-up Dynamic Horizons Ltd. debuts new line of ephemeral wearable technology in a stock Portland-style pop-up shop.... The Intangibles line of ephemeral wearable technology meditates on the shifting nature of place, self, and access in the climate of fiber-optic-fast obsolescence. Comprised of 3 chimeric amalgams of preexisting wearables, the line conjectures at the form factors of future gadgets as they grow more intimately on and into us.

Technology is often tritely described as ethically neutral. This is to ignore the built in complexities of new technologies as well as the inherent goals of their makers (i.e., profit.) Determination about the fundamental purpose of a thing is foreclosed well in advance of its use, swathed in impenetrable terms of service. Moreover, the devices and services we use also change us. We become bots in their net. This intent and tendency can be redirected, but requires cognizance, cultivated skill, and solidarity among creative networks, both IRL and URL.

Intangibles devices are made from the 'biodegradable' plastic, PLA*, popular in disposable table ware, and will rot for compulsory participation in the upgrade culture."

There is a lot of sci-fi related work in Portland (the three best practitioners being Brenna Murphy, Damien Gilley and Laura Fritz) and the tongue in cheek Dynamic Horizons Ltd: Intangibles was designed by Tabitha Nikolai, deSolid State, Matt Dan, Jason N. Le, and is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Dynamic Horizons | October 1 - 31 (Saturdays 12-5) Product Launch & Opening: October 1, 6-9PM
Composition
625 NW Everett St. Suite 102 (on 6th)



DNA masking artwork

Also held over from last month is a traveling Eyebeam In Objects exhibition from NYC's Eyebeam, focusing on technology based projects that were realized through residencies at Eyebeam. Artists include Chloe Bass, Zach Blas, James Bridle, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Zach Gage, Brian House and Addie Wagenknecht.

Eyebeam In Objects | September 3 - October 31
October 1st Thursday 6-8PM
Upfor
929 NW Flanders



Carl Diehl

Last but not least technology warlock Carl Diehl provides the latest work hanging from artist Michael Reinsch's neck in a presenting project called Albatross. Michael will be roving about so check the website, I usually run into him around the Everett Station lofts or PNCA.