I participated in Artomatic in 2009, making a hurried tech piece that ill-advisedly involved audience interaction, and which consequently spent most of the show broken. But the experience was a good one! For one thing, my project never caught fire. And for another, I learned some lessons about what makes a viable piece.
But mostly I just liked spending time at Artomatic. If you want to be a part of the show you have to volunteer for a few shifts — I vividly remember sitting on a loading dock and reading about Dr. Hilarius as I spent eight hours directing fitful traffic to the parking garage. Being a part of the event provided me with a clear view of the operation and the people behind it. There are impressive strains of bohemianism, tenacity and mutual goodwill that make the whole huge structure of the thing possible. And I like that it’s just for DC–there’s no ambition, no pretension, just an insistence on pragmatism and (often cringe-inducingly) democratic ideals. I like it a lot.
The current installment of Artomatic opened on Friday, and though I’m not participating this time (no time; no ideas), I suspect I’ll be making a number of trips to see what’s on offer. Today was the first such foray. I only made it through two floors before closing time, but I probably wouldn’t have made it through too many more anyway–the experience can be overwhelming.
I took a bunch of photos, but I have to admit I concentrated on the most absurd pieces (or those that reminded me of something else and which I wanted to share with friends). This isn’t to say that there isn’t anything good on offer (though it is safe to say that such pieces are in the minority). For instance, I enjoyed paintings by Bob Aldrich, sculpture by Julia Bloom and some CNC-fabricated furniture by Ryan McKibbin (all of this was on on the seventh floor, if you’re curious to seek it out).
But you don’t want to see my crappy iphone photography of decent-to-good art, do you? What would be the point? Much more interesting are the pieces that seem strange or inexplicable. Am I a jerk for thinking so? Probably. I don’t just mean to gape, though, or to belittle the artists. In part, I just like being reminded how different people are; how much their tastes and interests vary from my own; and how courageous so many of them are in exposing their idiosyncratic passions to the world. Say what you will about a crystal-covered painting of Oprah: it’s a braver thing to display than the bloodless wood and reception bells I chose to exhibit.
Anyway, here are some photos. I’m sure I’ll be adding to them soon.