Science Fiction Art in Seattle: A Show and a Venue

[Joe Bernstein]

Both of these topics are absurdly tardy, as my life has been dominated
partly by even more off-topic Korean dramas, and partly by getting and
starting a new job *at last*. I didn't know about the show until two
days ago, and still haven't had a chance to see it; it closes in eight
days. The venue, on the other hand, I've just been lazy about; my
apologies.

ART INSPIRED BY RAY BRADBURY'S <ILLUSTRATED MAN>

At True Love Art Gallery and Tattoo, 1525 Summit Ave., Seattle, WA.
This is just east of the north end of Seattle's downtown, in the
"Pike/Pine corridor". The gallery is open noon to eight daily.
Thirteen artists are represented, and the gallery isn't *that* big,
so my guess is it's one or two works per artist.

The gallery's website is <http://www.trueloveart.com/>. I found
nothing resembling a slide show there. I'm sorry I didn't find out
about this show *before* it started, so people interested could make
plans, but as things are, I *only* found out because I found some
flyers on the sidewalk, getting soaked in the rain. (The picture on
the flyers is the same picture you see at the website.)

The next show isn't described there yet, but is not spec-fic related.

LTD. ART GALLERY

I walked past this gallery at 307 E Pike St, even nearer downtown in the "Pike/Pine corridor", often in the months it was being set up and
got running last year. I'm sorry it never occurred to me to make the
connection with this group while it was running first "Disney
Underground" and then "Star Wars" shows, essentially because neither
show interested *me* enough to get me to walk in. Each is still
attested by a substantial slideshow at their site, <http://www.ltdartgallery.com>. There they say they're actually about
the intersection between art and popular culture, not about spec-fic
per se, and indeed their show starting today is art about cats, with
more than a nod to the internet video thing, but there's still a room
with a fair amount of Star Wars art up and some other spec-ficnal
stuff, and I would expect them to return to spec-fic (if more likely
sci-fi than science fiction proper) in the future.

They're open Tuesday through Saturday 11 to 7, and Sunday noon to 6.

Joe Bernstein

--
Joe Bernstein, tax preparer and writer j...@sfbooks.com

[Joe Bernstein]

Two weeks ago, I wrote:

> ART INSPIRED BY RAY BRADBURY'S <ILLUSTRATED MAN>

I didn't get there before the show closed; sorry. Did anyone else?

> LTD. ART GALLERY
>
> I walked past this gallery at 307 E Pike St, even nearer downtown in
> the "Pike/Pine corridor", often in the months it was being set up and
> got running last year. I'm sorry it never occurred to me to make the
> connection with this group while it was running first "Disney
> Underground" and then "Star Wars" shows, essentially because neither
> show interested *me* enough to get me to walk in. Each is still
> attested by a substantial slideshow at their site,
> <http://www.ltdartgallery.com>. There they say they're actually about
> the intersection between art and popular culture, not about spec-fic
> per se, and indeed their show starting today is art about cats, with
> more than a nod to the internet video thing, but there's still a room
> with a fair amount of Star Wars art up and some other spec-ficnal
> stuff, and I would expect them to return to spec-fic (if more likely
> sci-fi than science fiction proper) in the future.

At this point, of their first four shows, three are built around
specifically spec-ficnal themes - and since I haven't seen the cats
show, I don't know if any of its art takes a spec-ficnal direction.
Meseems either they have a very strange take on popular culture in
America these days, or they really do prefer spec-fic.

Four shows? Yeah. Today I saw a poster for #4: "Presented by
George R. R. Martin, WINTER IS COMING: Art based on <A Song of
Ice and Fire>." Opening reception 1st March, runs until 23rd
March. Martin's website makes no mention of a trip to Seattle at
such an unsalubrious time, and the poster doesn't actually say he'll
be there, but if the topic interests you enough and you're planning
to be in Seattle that month, you should plan on seeing this show;
I certainly intend to.

[Joe Bernstein]

Almost a year ago, I wrote:

> Both of these topics are absurdly tardy, as my life has been dominated
> partly by even more off-topic Korean dramas, and partly by getting and
> starting a new job *at last*. I didn't know about the show until two
> days ago, and still haven't had a chance to see it; it closes in eight
> days. The venue, on the other hand, I've just been lazy about; my
> apologies.

This topic is absurdly tardy, as my life has been dominated partly by
even more off-topic Korean music, and partly by getting and re-
starting the same job *at last*. The venue I've just been lazy about;
my apologies.

(No, seriously, all of that is true. This is scarily cyclical.)

> LTD. ART GALLERY
>
> I walked past this gallery at 307 E Pike St, even nearer downtown in
> the "Pike/Pine corridor", often in the months it was being set up and
> got running

The rest of this snipped because somewhere that Google Groups's crippled
search possibilities aren't showing me, I ended up having to correct
most of it.

So to cut to the chase at last: It's closing. It's been visibly closed
for months, in fact, which is why I'm late, but apparently they're doing
one more show before actually moving out, maybe a lease issue or just a
show they really care about. They may then operate online for a while,
which for those of you not in or near Seattle is all that matters anyway,
but as they rightly point out, is just Not The Same.

Article/interview:

<http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2015/01/pop-culture-art-gallery-calling-it-quits-on-capitol-hill/>

It's just one more data point in kind of a torrent of them lately
showing that Seattle is in serious danger of consisting of nothing but
millionaires and homeless people like me within a year or two. OK,
yeah, I'm exaggerating [1], but the "hollowing out" thing inequality
activists talk about in the US generally, vs. what's actually happening
here, is kind of like the climate change activists talk about generally,
vs. living inside an oven on low heat. It's pretty amazing. *Average*
rents are rising about 10% per year, and average incomes are not. It
seems reasonably unlikely that I'll end up leaving homelessness to a
rented space within the Seattle city limits, such as I had before.

Joe Bernstein

[1] The main thing slowing it down is that Seattle's land area is
about 2/3 single-family housing, and while the things that are
happening, if they continue, *will* further erode the ability of non-
millionaires to live in that housing, it's a much slower process than
rent increases. On the other hand, single-family housing is pretty
non-dense, so the more liquid situations in rented and owner-occupied
multi-family housing influences the population structure
disproportionately to the land area involved.

[Don Kuenz]

You believe that you're exaggerating? That's ironic. Two of my relatives
who live(d) in Seattle confirm what that you just said. The city
consists of "have" millionaires and "have not" working poor.

ObSF:

"Hard times for everyone," he said, mimicking her accent.
"Just too bad, ain't it? Too bad for everyone else, just
so long you 'ave a nice 'ouse and food and maybe a car
too and telly." His eyes were raking the house, taking
in the garage, the TV antenna on the roof, the windows.
Thank God the windows were locked, she thought, and the
front door.

_Timescape_

Regarding Google Groups crippled search engine - oh yes, an Inet memory
hole now exists.

ObSF:

In the walls of the cubicle there were three orifices. To the
right of the speakwrite, a small pneumatic tube for written
messages, to the left, a larger one for newspapers; and in the
side wall, within easy reach of Winston's arm, a large oblong
slit protected by a wire grating. This last was for the disposal
of waste paper. Similar slits existed in thousands or tens of
thousands throughout the building, not only in every room but
at short intervals in every corridor. For some reason they were
nicknamed memory holes. When one knew that any document was due
for destruction, or even when one saw a scrap of waste paper
lying about, it was an automatic action to lift the flap of
the nearest memory hole and drop it in, whereupon it would be
whirled away on a current of warm air to the enormous furnaces
which were hidden somewhere in the recesses of the building.

_1984_

--
,-. GIVE MORE expect less LOVE MORE
\_/ argue less LISTEN MORE talk less
{|||)< Don Kuenz LAUGH MORE complain less DREAM MORE
/ \ doubt less HOPE MORE fear less
`-' BREATHE MORE whine less

[William December Starr]

In article <edeeaacc-b75b-4223...@googlegroups.com>,

Joe Bernstein <j...@sfbooks.com> said:

> This topic is absurdly tardy, as my life has been dominated partly
> by even more off-topic Korean music, and

Is there any on-topic Korean music?

-- wds

[Joe Bernstein]

Um, well, I've posted about some recently... (Since lyrics are usually
written, if they're spec-fic they qualify. So there.)

-- JLB

[Joe Bernstein]

Three weeks ago, I wrote:

> Almost a year ago, I wrote:

> > LTD. ART GALLERY
> >
> > I walked past this gallery at 307 E Pike St, even nearer downtown in
> > the "Pike/Pine corridor", often in the months it was being set up and
> > got running

> It's closing. It's been visibly closed
> for months, in fact, which is why I'm late, but apparently they're doing
> one more show before actually moving out, maybe a lease issue or just a
> show they really care about. They may then operate online for a while,

Further walking confuses things.

At 307 E Pike St there is a visible art show (colourful abstract drippy
things, not my cup of tea at all). Shortly after these showed up,
along with signage saying nothing about Ltd but naming one Alex Negrette
(sp?), they acquired framing that presents the pictures as sweets - eg
a couple of pictures atop large ice cream cone thingies. Now there's a
sign at the door announcing the imminent opening of a "candy shop", and
I'm pretty sure that means art rather than consumables.

Meanwhile, at 501 E Pine St, about two blocks northeast, a bunch of
leftover prints from Ltd's career have been on the walls, and the
windows have Ltd signage. In keeping with the gallery's spec-fic-
dominated career, I spotted a print with the words "Mos Eiseley"
on it. My guess is that the show advertised as beginning this weekend
is at this address, not the Pike St one.

501 E Pine St had already been a gaming lounge, run by Gamma Ray Games
down the street. A quick web search just now to confirm the address
also claims that Gamma Ray has moved into its own subsidiary space
from the smaller storefront it had occupied. I'm perplexed - pretty
sure I've walked past Gamma Ray in the storefront recently - but maybe
they've just moved, or are just about to, and have updated the website
in advance.

So there may be, now or in the near future, *three* spec-fic-ancillary
businesses in that one space. And the painting of "Ltd" onto the
windows suggests that this may outlive the current show, and Ltd may
not wholly close any time soon. Which would be a good thing.

Joe Bernstein

[Joe Bernstein]

A month ago, I wrote:

> Three weeks ago, I wrote:

> > Almost a year ago, I wrote:

> > > LTD. ART GALLERY

> > > I walked past this gallery at 307 E Pike St, even nearer downtown in
> > > the "Pike/Pine corridor", often in the months it was being set up and
> > > got running

> > It's closing. It's been visibly closed
> > for months, in fact

> Further walking confuses things.
>
> At 307 E Pike St there is a visible art show (colourful abstract drippy
> things, not my cup of tea at all).

This turns out to be a "popup shop"; plenty of these as they happen in
Seattle are art spaces. Nothing to do with Ltd., except that both
display art.

> Meanwhile, at 501 E Pine St, about two blocks northeast, a bunch of
> leftover prints from Ltd's career have been on the walls, and the
> windows have Ltd signage. In keeping with the gallery's spec-fic-
> dominated career, I spotted a print with the words "Mos Eiseley"
> on it. My guess is that the show advertised as beginning this weekend
> is at this address, not the Pike St one.

Since I haven't walked past in daylight since, I don't know whether that
guess was correct. However...

> 501 E Pine St had already been a gaming lounge, run by Gamma Ray Games
> down the street. A quick web search just now to confirm the address
> also claims that Gamma Ray has moved into its own subsidiary space
> from the smaller storefront it had occupied. I'm perplexed - pretty
> sure I've walked past Gamma Ray in the storefront recently - but maybe
> they've just moved, or are just about to, and have updated the website
> in advance.
>
> So there may be, now or in the near future, *three* spec-fic-ancillary
> businesses in that one space. And the painting of "Ltd" onto the
> windows suggests that this may outlive the current show, and Ltd may
> not wholly close any time soon. Which would be a good thing.

Well, it sure would've been, but that isn't what I saw last night. Even
though Ltd.'s name had been painted onto the window, it was gone, while
Gamma Ray's name was up next to "Raygun Lounge"'s. There was no visible
art on the walls, not even the posters I'd expect of Gamma Ray.

And of course there was a popup shop in Gamma Ray's old space already. Seemingly something interior design or antique-y.