update by Mimi Price
Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo—the Seattle-based artist/architect operating as Lead Pencil Studio—certainly have Portland’s attention. Last year they transformed the eastside Portland skyline with their steel structures Inversion: Plus Minus, erected at the eastern ends of the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges. The sculptures, often referred to as “ghost-like,” employ negative space to recollect Portland’s urban past. Built in the open rather than inside gallery walls, Inversion: Plus Minus provoked a variety of reactions, and left the city buzzing.
In a conversation with KATU.com producer and reporter Shannon L. Cheesman, Annie Han notes that, “it would be strange to make something and either everybody dislikes it or everybody loves it. It comes with the territory—especially when you are putting your work in a public space.”
This June, Han and Mihalyo will undoubtedly continue to elicit responses as they prompt Portlanders to yet again rethink the city with a multimedia performance at the Doug Fir Lounge. Their latest project, Dark Corners/ High F/ Mannequins / Ugly / Downer Boxes, “present[s] a series of parallel theories using noise, words, images, objects and actions to describe an alternate reading of the city” and will continue Lead Pencil’s tradition of captivating the eyes, ears and minds of Portlanders. They promise to “variously address the joys of upending distinctions between architecture, art, landscape, culture and history.”
The free event will be held on Monday, June 16 at 7:00 pm at the Doug Fir Lounge and is open to ages 21 and over. Further details may be found here.
