Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006
»»)
It seems - as with any other
ig-teim journalistic endeav-
- that the more I spend
r time developing this col
in and wading deeper into
: ocean of information sur-
niding my beloved gaming
iustry. the more I end up on
e end of a certain spectrum
I am either a) struck silly
y >ome entertaining new soft-
iare review or hardware gim-
nck, or b) I find my tolerance
,aning for people who try to
ut their personal agenda in
ie way of our basic human
This week’s frustration is
brought to the couple of you
»■ho read this by yesterday’s
release of Rockstar Games’ iat-
est title, Bully, in which players
can take on the persona of
a school yard ruffian as they
hand out swirlies and beat
■jp their classmates for lunch
money. Is the new game ques
tionable? Hell yeah, it is, but
Clackamas Print
Art gallery ignites interest
■ Elizabeth Hitz
J | The Clackamas Print
Spokane
artist Thomas
O’Day’s new show, “Just
About Everything,” opened
in the Alexander Gallery on
Oct. 5.
The show opened with a
bang, some mad dog, vinegar
and a little fruit punch. O’Day
gave an exhibition of what is
called performance art, and
he creates his art by first
destroying it.
He takes artwork that he or
other artists have created and
buries, blows up, or otherwise
demolishes the pieces. Then,
he takes the left-over parts
and incorporates them into
new pieces.
He appropriately calls these
works “art disposals.”
“The old work is turned
into new work. The pieces are
in a constant state of flux,”
said O’Day.
He demonstrated the first
step of these “art disposals”
in the presence of an avid
audience. O’Day blew up a
sliced painting in front of the
Neimeyer building, and poured
different liquids through pipes
onto drawings from the top of
a ladder. If ever it was, this is
art in action
Viewers agreed. “I kind of
like the idea of getting rid
of this stuff
[art],” said
Clackamas
art teacher
Rick True.
“I ask it,
‘Do
you
want me to rip you up?’ - and
then I rip it up anyway. It’s
getting to the process of mak
ing.”
O’Day also gave a lecture
on his background, the history
of his art style and an expla
nation of some of his past and
present works.
The show’s pieces have
rich and varied histories. One
creation, “Subtitle Zone,”
O’Day tied to pilings and sub
merged under water at Puget
Sound for six years. When
he went back to retrieve it,
the diving crew he hired had
no luck. “Subtitle Zone” was
gone. So O’Day made posters
and offered a $100 reward.
Eventually, an elderly couple
called him up. They had found
the piece several years ago
and were using it as a lawn
ornament.
“Just About Everything”
also boasts a video instal
lation. The projected video
against the background shows
the process of O’Day’s past
shows and “disposals.” In the
foreground, pieces from the
disposals are suspended. The
effect is eye-catching and dis
orienting.
O’Day uses every
thing from paper shred
ders and liquid plumber
to metal compacters in
his work, and the entire
show reflects this vari
ety.
FAR LEFT: Students
get involved with
Thomas O’Day’s gal
lery by scrawling
on top of a cut-up
painting with mark
ers supplied by the
artist.
Interactiv
ity is a key part of
O’Day’s gallery.
Florida
lawyer
Jack
Thompson, an anti-video
game extremist and the only
guy I’ve ever seen who’s
been hissed at publicly, took
Rockstar’s parent company,
Take-Two Interactive, to court
last week over a complai nt he
filed against the game’s con
sent.
’It appears that, finally, the
violent video game industry is
going to be held accountable to
.saneone,” Thompson wrote in
is announcement Wednesday
morning.
However, gaming site
3estnictoid.com reported on
Friday morning that the judge
niled in favor of Take-Two,
and had decided he didn’t
see anything that should pre
vent Take-Two from ship
ping Bully. Thompson, in true
“bully” fashion, responded
ftith a formal letter comparing
te judge’s ruling to the UN
nuclear weapons inspections
a Iran.
I wish I were making this
LEFT: O’Day pre
pares to incinerate
a butchered paint
ing in an orgy of
flame and smoke.
Elizabeth Hitz Clackamas Print
Elizabeth Hitz Clackamas Print
BELOW LEFT: Paint
ing teacher Dave An
derson helps O’Day
to lay the lines of
flamable
chemi
cals in between the
pieces of a discard
ed canvas.
BOTTOM: O’Day ex
plains the meanings
of his unique sculp
tures housed in the
Alexander Gallery,
which is located in
Niemeyer Hall.
m
He continued to accuse
Take-Two lawyer Rebecca
'fcd of lying in the courtroom
about the enforcement of its
ESRB rating and accused the
j^ge of “railroading this entire
matter-atthe expense of chil-
tens’safety.”
Thompson promptly and
publicly slammed a judge of
a court of law for deciding that
is actions of angry, destruc
tive kids are not the responsi
vity - where have I heard that
word? — ofa video game.
The game is rated “T,” a
rating described on the ESRB’s
p\bb site as “content that may
he suitable for ages 13 and
older.” If parents don’t think
peir teenager can handle the
content in a game like Bully,
I i s their responsibility - there’s
fa word again! -to teach their
rods the basic rules of behavior
■accepted by society.
I People have a right to feel
Ikwever they want about
Itideo games. Long ago, I
I scepted that not everyone in
I f« world agrees with my opin-
I® of them, but irresponsibly
■using millions in tax dollars
I ®d the media to force an opin
io down the throat of anyone
1’1» disagrees?
I Someone
should tell
I Ibompson we’re tired of being
9
Join the Fun
at “Scrapbook
Saturday”
Elizabeth Hitz Clackamas Print
1
■
Catch up on your scrap
books or start new proj
ects. Bring your favorite
photos and materials
and enjoy uninterrupt
ed scrap-booking time.
Materials will be avail
able for purchase if need
ed. Free morning and
afternoon workshops.
Refreshments provided.
Saturday, October 21,
9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
SMtii ®
■■«■ill
Contact Jackie Flowers
@ 503-657-7181 for
more information.
RSVP requested.
St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church
822 Washington Street
Oregon City
Adam J. Manley Clackamas Print
4