Reactive Matters is the most interesting opening tonight. Photographers Jeremy Bolen, Abbey Hepner and Shimpei Takeda work at the intersection of the impact of radioactivity, photographic materials and our history of embracing nuclear chemistry. We are not too far ourselves from Hanford which produced the plutonium for Nagasaki.
Bolen buried his film in radioactive soils around the US then shot those sites with the film. The chemical impact on the film and the radiation impact has degraded the image suggesting nostalgia, when in fact revealing the invisibility of radioactive decay.
Hepner, inspired by relief work after the tsunami in Japan, has documented US nuclear waste facilities using the uranotype printing process which substitutes uranium for silver in the print.
Takeda returned to his childhood home in Fukushima. He collected soil from his former home, shinto shrines and temples, scattered it on light sealed photo paper and then printed the scatter of radioactive pinpoints making an exposure.
At Newspace Photo www.newspacephoto.org 1632 SE 10th Map 6PM-9 Free
Redux has encaustic paintings by Susan Freedman. At Redux www.reduxpdx.com 811 E Burnside 6PM-9:30 Free
Blackbox has Framed: Landscape and Architecture, At Black Box Gallery www.blackboxgallery.com 811 E Burnside, Suite 212 upstairs Early close 5PM-8 Free
Haunt Studio has an installation connected to trunk show clothiers MONOM: Gretchen Belle and Sky Speir. At Haunt www.hauntstudio.blogspot.com 811 E Burnside Suite #113 7PM-9 Free
All at 811 East Burnside Map
One Grand Gallery has colorful geometric pattern illustrations by Omar Gonzales. At One Grand Gallery www.onegrandgallery.com 1000 E Burnside 6PM-10 Free
The Lumber Room is also open 5PM-8 as noted previously.
