TEDXPORTLAND ART!
It's TedxPortland season y'all!
Tonight is the art opening at Union/Pine.. Tickets are available here and attendees with have a chance to check out the art, sip on complimentary cocktails, win door prizes and chill with a DJ. There will also be food carts outside if folks get hungry. If the art show sells out, there will also be an open house showing for the public (no tickets necessary) on May 29 from 11AM - 2PM.We got to chat with two of the artist, Laura Austin and Jordan Sowers. We are really excited to see all of the artwork tonight! See ya there!
EYES + EDGE: How did you get involved with TedxPortland?
Laura Austin: The creative team, Instrument, who is organizing the whole event, reached out to me to submit a piece to be considered for the book and art show. I know a handful of people at Instrument back from my days in snowboarding and I was incredibly flattered that they wanted me to be involved.
E+E: Tell us about your piece you made specifically for the event.
LA: Everyone’s submissions had be based around what their visions and interpretations of what “Tomorrows” meant for them. This left the door pretty wide open which can be fun, but also challenging when trying to figure out what to focus on. I took an environmental approach since a lot of my work tends to be shot in nature. My piece is titled “We’re Melting” and is a nod to global warming/climate change and how people are affecting the planet. I don’t want to get too specific here because I like to leave it to people to pull their own interpretations from my work, but that is the just of it.
E+E: Which TedxPortland speaker are you most looking forward to hear speak? Why?
LA: Hmmm… I would probably have to say Benji Wagner because I know him personally and have been a fan of his brand Poler for quite some time. I’ve very curious to hear his approach to “Tomorrows” assuming it is going to be something involving the outdoors since that is what his brand is based around.
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EYES + EDGE: How did you get involved with TedxPortland?
Jordan Sowers: I got involved with TedxPortland through Instrument, a digital creative agency here in Portland, Oregon. We've been working on the past two TedxPortland campaigns and I was offered the opportunity to submit a piece for this year's Art show.
E+E: Tell us about your piece you made specifically for the event.
JS: "Our Adjacent Possible" is a piece that is highly inspired by Stuart Kauffman's theory of environmental evolution. He defines that all autonomous agents are bounded by their current state of possibilities. The adjacent possible is a higher level of complexity that is introduced to an environment which provides a larger set of capabilities. I wanted to visually convey the abstraction of our environment that is bounded by our current possible. The edge of our possible is slightly visible, but it is dependent upon our innovation to break the barrier into the next set of capabilities.
E+E: Which TedxPortland speaker are you most looking forward to hear speak? Why?
JS: I'm most exited to see Cameron Smith and hear his idea of low-cost space travel. I believe that a private low-cost solution for space travel will give us a second chance at becoming amateur astronauts.
Make sure to follow Jordan on Instagram!
EYES + EDGE: How did you get involved with TedxPortland?Blaine Fontana: I was asked by curator Jenny Smith to create a piece based on a template all the artists are using. The theme and categories were inspiring and well designed so I fely compelled to contribute a piece.
E+E: Tell us about your piece you made specifically for the event.BF: My piece was specifically designed for the Health section, but I suppose it works also for Design/Art. The piece represents the lack of or the need to marry Eastern and Western health practices and not limit one for your entire remedies and lifestyle.
E+E: Which TedxPortland speaker are you most looking forward to hear speak? Why?BF: Gregory Gourdet. I think he has represented Portland's soul, its food and community very well outside the city. He has a dedication to his city and his industry that is very inspiring and contagious.
EYES & EDGE