Artists-in-residence explore the hidden lives of Portland’s bridges

The Regional Arts & Culture Council is pleased to announce a new interdisciplinary public art project that is part of intersections, an artist-in-residence program, the Hidden Lives of Bridges. Artists Ed Purver and Tim DuRoche are working with the Multnomah County Bridge Section to reveal the inner workings – the unseen and unheard elements -- of the County operated bridges that span the Willamette River. The team is recording sounds of the Hawthorne Bridge, exploring the insides of the Morrison Bridge, and interviewing the people who engineer, maintain and operate the bridges. Using large-scale video projections and sound, the artists will transform the two structures into a radio and a cinema beginning at sunset on the evenings of September 8th, 9th, and 10th at a series of free public events that will be part of PICA’s 2011TBA Festival.

For the event, the south sides of the Morrison Bridge river piers will feature video projections inspired by the structure’s hidden spaces, its massive internal mechanics and the people who work in the bridges. An audio composition of their stories combined with the live sounds from the Hawthorne Bridge will be broadcast from speakers attached to its structure. The general public can experience the event from three different vantage points: the north side of the Hawthorne Bridge, Waterfront Park and the Eastbank Esplanade. The live broadcasts will continue through the month of September as you walk/drive/bike across the Hawthorne Bridge, while you’re viewing the project’s website (www.hiddenlifeofbridges.org ) or calling a number on your cell phone.

Ed Purver is a Brooklyn-based artist who integrates digital media into public spaces, and has recently created artworks for the Liverpool Biennial (UK), Seoul Institute of the Arts (South Korea) and the Manhattan Bridge. Tim DuRoche is a jazz and sound artist living in Portland whose work ranges from live performance to installation, including projects with Tere Mathern Dance, Linda K Johnson and Cydney Wilkes.

Multnomah County maintains five Willamette River bridges in Portland that connect the city’s east and west sides: the Broadway, Burnside, Hawthorne, Morrison and Sellwood.

The Hidden Life of Bridges is part of the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s intersections program, where the art of work meets the work of art. The project is funded by Multnomah County Percent for Art and administered by RACC. Phone service designed and sponsored by MegaPhone Labs who enables real time social interaction between audiences and screens, using phone calls, mobile apps, and web apps.

Updated 8/12: Below are two videos that the artists shot under the Morrison Bridge as background work for their project.

Websites:
www.hiddenlifeofbridges.org
www.edpurver.com
www.timduroche.com
www.web.multco.us/bridges

Updated 8/12/11.