So, you are probably wondering if I made it to the Bellevue Arts Fair this year. I did, but not for very long, as I had another event that I decided to attend that evening. I saw many great things in the short time I was there. I will write about that towards the end of this blog.
A few weeks before the Arts Fair, I went to the EMP specifically to see "Spectacle: The Music Video" exhibit. Before spending my time, listening and watching incredible music throughout the years, I briefly took a look at the exhibit: "Block by Block: Inventing Amazing Architecture."
I had forgotten about the Lego exhibit at the museum when I arrived at the EMP, so it was an extra bonus to see! The exhibit was not very big, as it only took one room, but the Lego structures were quite nice.
In the photo below: Buildings from two favorite cities together. Left: The Willis Tower (formerly "Sears Tower") and the Space Needle. Complete with the 12th man flag waving on top:
The little details are amazing:
These Lego men are working hard to complete the 30 St. Mary Axe, structure in London:
The music video exhibit was much larger than I expected. Several monitors were dispersed throughout each room, and often showed more than one music video. You could spend all day there, just watching the videos themselves. Since this is in Seattle, they obviously had costumes from a Macklemore & Ryan Lewis video (Thrift Shop) on display:
I want my MTV...
First music video aired on MTV August 1, 1981: "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
Devo's "Whip It" played below a replica of the iconic head-gear, in what they called an "Energy Dome." I think it looks like the bottom half of a toilet plunger:
This is the result of when OK Go makes a music video using a Rube Goldberg Machine ("When the Morning Comes"):
One of my favorite music videos of all time "Take On Me" by A-ha.
The artwork is just amazing in it:
There was one music video on display that was in 3D. The 3D was amazing, but it had to be one of the weirdest music videos I have ever seen. The music video is called, "Wanderlust." The artist is Bjork. Here is Bjork's headgear and a prop-head:
...and I believe this may be a mock-up sketch.
After finishing what I wanted to see of the music video exhibit, I found some new things on display for the "Icons of Science Fiction Exhibit." I also took some photos of things I missed before:
One of the Robots from "Lost In Space":
An old cyberman costume from "Doctor Who":
I believe this is supposed to be the Discovery One space craft. From "2001 Space Odyssey":
There were several sci-fi books on display that had piles of things around them:
Stargate helmet:
I was looking forward to going to the Bellevue Arts Fair this year. Like every year, I planned not to buy anything, and luckily, I managed to save my money. So, in a way, it helped that I had to leave early.
One of the first things I was impressed with, was a table done by Rocky Canyon tileworks. A beautiful table, hand-crafted in a mosaic style. A husband and wife team do all the artwork themselves. The wife individually carves each shape from clay to be laid into the tables, and the tables are welded and shaped by the husband. The result is colorful and lovely. Some of the stones look as if fresh water droplets are remaining on the surface of the table. It makes a very stunning effect.
As I was looking at David Bjurstrom's art from afar, I could have sworn they were black and white photographs. I was amazed at the incredible detail. The shadowing is astonishing. There is one piece that is called "Longhorn," and the hair looks as if you could touch it. It is so amazing.
There were some interesting retro-looking radios at the Arts Fair this year from Mod Radio. Some looked like globes, others looked like antique cameras, and some looked just like old radios - except you could attach your iPod to them. I thought they were pretty neat, and kind of fun.
They had some of this chain-link clothing on display at Unzicker Design. It may look light to wear, but just lifting a small piece of it, I could tell it would be quite heavy. It would be quite awesome to wear however, to a party or somewhere.
Can Do Planes makes art from recycled pop cans and beer cans. I really liked an airplane I saw made from a Coca-Cola can. There were planes, vehicles, and a few animals done in this style. It was pretty fun.
Some large pieces of glass, with light illuminating from behind gave Samuel Bates artwork a breath-taking 3D effect. Looking at the pieces, it would not seem possible, but they are carved in a way that gives an illusion of depth in space. My favorite piece is one he has of a girl with butterflies coming out of her hair.
Last, but not least, was one of my favorite items I saw that night. A Carogi bag. These bags are not only pretty, but they are versatile. You can wear them as a shoulder bag, a hip sling, a backpack, and a book-bag. I liked one of the bags with a face on it, but there are others without faces, if that is not your style. The artist was very nice, and showed me the various ways it can be folded to be a different bag. They were all very detailed and beautiful.
I wish I could have spent longer at the Bellevue Arts Fair, but sometimes plans conflict with other plans. I think I may have only stayed 40 minutes, looking around under the Bellevue Square Mall parking lot, but perhaps it was more like 2 hours. I am not sure. It seemed like a short time, but my feet were tired at the end.
