Past Lives Makerspace is Set to Dazzle in Its Debut at the Portland Winter Light Festival
If you’re a Portlander, you’re probably a fan of the annual Portland Winter Light Festival. This year’s event—the festival’s 10th anniversary—spans the city from February 7th to 15th with special art and light installations that aim to bring illumination and community to the season’s dark winter nights. And, this year, Past Lives is an official satellite location for the event.
On the Light Festival’s opening night, Friday, February 7, Past Lives Makerspace will present “Sanctum”: A sanctuary of art, music, and creative storytelling” from 6 to 10 p.m. According to event curator and Gallery Guild Lead Kristen Curry, it’s been an opportunity to broaden Past Lives’ collaborative, cross-category focus.
"Typically, the gallery showcases mostly visual art: 2D and 3D paintings, mixed-media, sculpture, metalwork, glass, jewelry, perhaps some woodworking," Kristen said. "With Sanctum, we’ll showcase some of our other guilds. Our Tech Guild will be programming interactive, volumetric light installation. Our Writer's Guild will generate fortunes for our "Oracle" installation. The Light Festival is rooted in creative collaboration, and we have so many talents under our roof."
Enter the Magic World of “Sanctum”
Sanctum will combine synth sounds, vocals, lighting, and more into a multi-hour spectacle. Performances include:
Occurian: (Dan Pisarcik, @occurian) Experimental & ambient modular synth with an interactive light show. Dan has created an interactive A/V system that triggers lighting and visualization effects using programmed sequences and real-time musical input to debut on the Past Lives stage.
Infinite Fire: A collaboration between Kristen Curry of WhiteHeart Ritual Art (@whiteheartritualart) and Ramon Mills (@puxflux) of Production Unit Xero & Heterodex Records, combining ritual theater, poetry, and synth soundscapes inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. (Video projection by John-Ryan Griggs.)
FlightCall: (Tai Woodville, iamflightcall.com) Warm, evocative vocals, buoyed by soundscapes of sparkling synths, weave the story of a multi-dimensional being fallen to earth. Her conceptual synth-pop odyssey, Homeworld, invites the listener beyond the duality simulation of earth into a timeless dimension of love.
Visit the Bog
The Bog, an interactive exhibit during the Sanctum event and beyond, meshes with the theme of sacred space and connection to the living world. Visitors will be introduced to the beings that live in the Bog, as in the plants and animals that live there.
“Bogs have long been considered wasted land—dangerous and disease-ridden, waiting to be drained, harvested for fuel, and planted with crops,” artist Maria Amelia Randall explained. “I want to share them as the ancient, gorgeous, and teeming communities they are.”
The Bog will feature projected photos and videos and textile/soft sculpture pieces—and at various times will include kids and grown-ups donning paper mâché masks and costumes to engage in collaborative storytelling using theatre games and exercises. It will also be open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday 2/8 and Sunday 2/9.
And Even More to Explore
During the “Sanctum” performance on February 7, attendees can enjoy additional installations and activities, including:
An illuminated “trash labyrinth” constructed out of plastic recyclables
A fortune-telling oracle
A live metalworking forge demonstration
A photo booth
Art by incarcerated artists for purchase
Live music performances will also be held on Saturday, 2/8. For more information on additional showings and performances at Past Lives during the Light Festival, keep an eye on the Past Lives Gallery Instagram.
A Beacon of Light for the Marginalized
In preparing for the show, Kristen reflected on the value to Past Lives of being part of the Portland Winter Light Festival.
“The festival’s an indelible fixture of the Portland art scene,” she shared.” “And we look forward to exposing all kinds of folks to Past Lives who may not already be familiar with the Makerspace and its mission.” She notes that tours of the Makerspace will be available throughout Sanctum and other Light Festival events at Past Lives.
Perhaps more importantly, she notes the value that Past Lives brings to the Winter Light Festival.
“I mean, our logo is a shining lantern! Past Lives is a beacon of light to those needing a second chance. Some of our ‘messages to the future’ (the Light Festival’s theme this year) will recall ancient wisdom: where community was a valued way of life, and we viewed ourselves and our ecosystems as part of a web of connection.”
"Past Lives offers diversity you may not experience in other Portland art spaces," she continued. "We strive to create opportunities—and reduce stigma—for incarcerated, post-incarcerated, and marginalized individuals and artists. Our makers and members, who represent a variety of backgrounds, ages, and neurodivergences, may not have individually enjoyed access to the same resources as some festival participants. But by sharing our resources and collaborating amongst ourselves and our community, we can create something memorable."
Past Lives is conveniently located in inner-S.E. Portland, right across the river from some of the key festival events. It’s also one of the few indoor installations at the Light Festival, offering a great option if rain hits on February 7. The Makerspace and its members eagerly welcome the community with open arms to take part in its contribution to this year’s Portland Winter Light Festival activities. See you there!