Now in it’s 21st year, Artists & Models has come in many different incarnations. The annual event, held by Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, has run since 1984. There was a three-year hiatus when Hallwalls was in between places when moving from the Tri-Main Center to The Church at Delaware and West Tupper, but it has been the only interruption to the yearly craziness.
Artists & Models Affairs have held different themed events, last year’s being called “Nocturminal,” held at the Central Terminal. Polly Little, development director for Hallwalls says, “We’ve been tempted, but we’ve never used the same name twice.” This year must be especially tempting because the event returns to the Central Terminal, but it does indeed have another name: Unhinged.
The event lasts from 9 PM till 2 AM on May 31st and features 33 one-night only installations by more then 45 artists. Their names and brief explanations of their work can be found at the bottom of this page and should offer a savory taste of the night to come. If the installations were not enough to satisfy your hunger, the food certainly will be. Food will be provided by Sonoma Grille and Ike’s BBQ and with local and craft beer selections and great wine, your hunger should be satisfied.
Of course, that’s not all the event features. Little says there will be roving artists who will be a bit more theatrical based. The roving performers include some polar explorers, who will take people to different areas of the Terminal on expeditions. There will be a mime, who ironically, will every now and then burst into song. And though you won’t be able to miss it, there will be a pirate ship constructed in the center of the concourse. On the inside there will be no booty, but plenty of 70’s TV sitcoms to watch.
The Central Terminal was chosen this year for it’s size. Little says, “It’s kind of hard to find a building that you can go in and do this kind of project in. I kind of see it as an art circus I guess.” Little explains that though there are many serious artists who present installations, because there are a number of theatrical performers, it gives it a circus-like quality.
“Unhinged” will certainly be an event not to miss. The artistry will be amazing to see, but so will the performances on the Main Stage. Performing that evening will be DJ Ceiba - reggae/rap/soul/latin/african/broken beat – who will open and close the evening. There will also be Eric Crittenden, a Buffalo artist who plays a kind of feel-good genre mixing accessible to everyone. London Vs. New York will also play with their indie/rock/punk stylings blasting through the terminal. Most exciting of the performers to hit the Main Stage is the Eye Candy Burlesque show, put on by the Pole Play Dance Studio on Hertel Ave.
Tickets for “Unhinged” are $12 advance and $15 at the door. It is May 31st from 9 PM till 2 AM. Advance tickets can be bought at Talking Leaves Books (951 Elmwood or 3158 Main St.), Shoe Fly (822 Elmwood Ave.), Rust Belt Books (202 Allen St.), Terrapin Station (1172 Hertel Ave.), Hallwalls (Delaware & Tupper), Pizza Plant (5110 Main or 8020 Transit Rd), Clarence Center Coffee Co. (Goodrich & Clarence Ctr.Rd.), and Redfish Studios (21 Elm, E.Aurora).
For more information on this event, visit Hallwalls website here. You can also call 854-1694.
Artists For Unhinged:
Steve Ansell /Tammy McGovern - Hand Crank Machine interactive project: Guests crank the action as images reconfigure themselves like a giant projection creating a kaleidoscopic experience for all in the room. BUFFALO/WNY
AWK - Nine artists professing normalcy ask visitors to their space “Are You Normal?” Guests can take a free test to determine their normalcy. BUFFALO/WNY
Josephine Anstey – Office Diva is a simulation of an unhinged and monstrous ego, whining and writhing and ranting as she obsesses over her life – obviously a disturbed mind trapped by its own unreal processing of daily events. BUFFALO/WNY
Avalanche Collective – Searching for the lost romanticism of a prior age, the ensemble will take on the roles and personas of polar explorers throughout the terminal. SYRACUSE
Ryan Barone/J Anthony Dimezza – “Playing basketball with Death” – a five-hour contest with the devil. Who will win? We will find out at 2am the night of Artists & Models. ROCHESTER
Michael Bosworth – The Buffalo skyline will continually morph into fictitious imagery. BUFFALO/WNY
Robin Brasington – A beauty guide from 3, 5 and 7-year-olds accompanied by text as they explain ways to be beautiful. BROOKLYN
Buffalo Sound Painting Ensemble – Live improvisation on the nature of space: outer, inner, architectural, emotional, intellectual. Puppets, projections, voices and conduction. BUFFALO/WNY
Lewis Colburn – Bunkers away! Anyone would become unhinged in this guy’s war room shelter. SYRACUSE
Aasta Deth – Oral cavity exploration with night vision projections. PENNSYLVANIA
The Fractal Project-DVJ Room – Surround yourself, groove to the tunes, the mixes and the changing images all night long. BUFFALO/WNY
Courtney Grim – Revelers blend in and become part of the mayfly mayhem when engulfed in the frenzied dance of life. BUFFALO/WNY
Jody Hanson/Mark McLoughlin – Slow Rain in red, white & blue. Is it an election year? BUFFALO/WNY
Gordon Hicks – Light Rain Tonight. TORONTO
Tom Holt & Jim Celotto – Body painting all night long. A team of painters bring their skills to your skin for a one-night look. BUFFALO/WNY
Ani Hoover – Giant mood-setter. BUFFALO/WNY
Ella Joseph - Unhinged: The Movie in a Cage. Live, unrehearsed (or is it unsuspecting?). Become the movie when entering the cage. BUFFALO/WNY
Stephanie Koenig – Walk the plank on the pirate ship, built within the Central Terminal, fresh from Syracuse. Enter at your own risk/daring/joy. SYRACUSE
Frank McCauley – He is everywhere in everything, he’s invisible, he wears a projection suit. He is a projection. SYRACUSE
Marty McGee/Mick Gross – Psychological Screening with instant analysis, the roving duo will help you decide who you really are. BUFFALO/WNY
Jim McLaughlin – What’s a party without a mime? We have one, but occasionally may burst out in song beware. BUFFALO/WNY
RJ Melnyk & LJP – A giant stereo speaker comes to life in the Central Terminal for one night. BUFFALO/WNY
The Reactionary Ensemble – Pop Culture unhinged exploited in sound and sight. Live endurance performance. BUFFALO/WNY
Lorna Mills – My very pretty kitty. SHAPE SHIFTING KITTIES, yikes only in the movies. TORONTO
Heather Nicol – Swirl - Be engulfed in the moving billowing fabric as it grows and swirls with the continual sounds of private musings. TORONTO
Dyan O’Connell – Is it real or your imagination? Walk through and discover for yourself. BUFFALO/WNY
Nancy J. Parisi – A mental ward for one night, you become the model on the gurney for the nearly extinct Polaroid to flash and voila a likeness of you strapped in. BUFFALO/WNY
Dave Pape – The ceiling becomes a giant fast paced galactic video game. BUFFALO/WNY
Valerie C. Pawlowski – Bipolarity, enter the manic room, continue through to the other side, a room that is not what it seems. BUFFALO/WNY
Gary Sczerbaniewicz – They Establish Bonds. Construction/de-construction, bonds, breaking the bonds that tie. BUFFALO/WNY
Mathew Slaats/Tom Hughes/Jax Deluca – A “tourista scavenger hunt” conducted throughout the terminal, history and news story combine for a wild ride. BUFFALO/WNY
Nalani Williams – Groove to the beat as this pulsating organism catches your eye. BUFFALO/WNY