The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s 10-day-long Time-Based Arts Festival (aka TBA), is now in its eighth season. I have had the privilege to be in attendance each year since its inception in 2003, when I experienced a memorable performance of Butoh legends Eiko and Koma.

A lot has changed over the years: locations, staff, scale, audience. For the last four years, however, a consistent curatorial format has remained as PICA has seated two outside guest artistic directors. The first addition was the indelible touch of Mark Russell; also returning this year is Cathy Edwards.

With Edwards at the helm, given her post as director of performance programs at Connecticut’s International Festival of Arts & Ideas, the events have become radically more dance-centric than in the past (recalling my years watching Dance Umbrella back in New England). She has most certainly gathered some of the brightest in the world of movement, notably this year’s presentation of both John Jasperse Company and Maria Hassabi, as well as the re-return of producer Mike Barber’s “Ten Tiny Dances,” always a crowd favorite.

In this light I tend to focus on a curatorial vision, so this year, for me, it was all about the gesture, however random, slight or grandiose. As any festival would have it, an attendee may be running around from event to event. TBA is no different; it’s a whirlwind of ecstatic energies on both sides of the Willamette that could both invigorate and exhaust over the course of a single evening – call it an audio/visual workout. It’s somewhere in this sphere that one may reach a point of uncertain nirvana in the throes of performance art including dance, film, theater, contemporary visual art, spoken-word monologues and readings, concerts and the blending of genres beyond category.

This year PICA has teamed up with many key presenters – sites across town include Imago Theater, BodyVox, the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the Whitsell Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum and, for the second year running, the former site of Washington High School has become The Works, a central location for performances and all visual art installations related to the festival.

A shot from Storm Tharp’s studio, part of the exhibition “High House.” Photo: Courtesy of PICA

Oh yes, those gestures. They were evident throughout these venues, and in the streets before and after performances. There was something awkwardly romantic and free in the black and white tulle flags dangling, blown by a small fan in Storm Tharp’s pristine and yet homey installation “High House.” It may be the first time I’ve seen his work this simply, and while there is plenty to look at – jars of pigment, notes to self, a teeny sculpture of a dancer, a video of drapes being blown hither in his living room, and other tableaus depicting famous actresses from the ’70s done in pastel – you get the feeling you are ogling around the stage of the artist’s belongings, his personal space. With everything on risers and faux staircases, all in bright retro/futuristic white, the audience has become part of a small square maze of curiosities.

Another gesture was that made while twisting and turning about in the round as part of The Wooster Group’s eye-opening interactive and panoramic war film projection titled “There Is Still Time … Brother,” directed by Elizabeth Le Compte and developed with Jeffrey Shaw. The audience is seated at center (on swiveling stools), actors surround on all sides of the circular space, and one audience member (at center) controls the direction the film will be projected. As the central person in the room moves, the film moves round the room. It’s ingenious to say the least, and judging by the way in which you watch the loop (only 20 minutes) you probably could be sitting and spinning for hours without seeing the whole thing – it completely breaks the linearity of passive cinema.

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We hope you enjoyed reading our coverage, and that our stories helped shed some light on the complex nature of our city. We sincerely thank you for all your encouragement and support.

- EnzymePDX Staff

Neither mid-game replacements, backup goalkeepers nor broken bones seem to be slowing down the Timbers’ defense. Their third straight shutout, against Carolina on Saturday, capped 334 minutes of scoreless play dating back to a first-half goal conceded to Austin on Aug. 26. The Timbers are now tied for the second-fewest goals allowed in the USSF Division 2 Pro League, with 20.

The most obvious asset at the back has been the play of goalkeeper Steve Cronin, who recorded a five-save effort amid 16 shots in Carolina and now has posted back-to-back 10-shutout seasons, something no keeper has done since the Timbers returned to Portland in 2001.

But there’s also an especially stingy strut among the Timbers’ whole back line.

“Everybody is tuned in right now,” said defender and captain Ian Joy.

So tuned into the game, in fact, that they’re playing through plenty of hiccups and hard knocks. The latest hit central defender Ross Smith on Saturday in Carolina, when he broke a bone on the outside of his left hand while challenging for a head ball. He dusted himself off and stayed in the match. This week he was practicing in a light cast, with no sign he’d miss Saturday’s showdown with Puerto Rico on the outskirts of San Juan.

“He’s a tough guy,” said Head Coach Gavin Wilkinson. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Wilkinson can rest easy knowing that even personnel changes among the back four don’t seem to make a difference. In the last six games, in which the Timbers have yielded just one goal, Wilkinson has started five different combinations at the back. He gave backup goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski a rare start in Minnesota on Aug. 21 and the team blanked the Stars for a 1-0 win. And Wilkinson was forced to shove Scot Thompson onto the field in the ninth minute against Puerto Rico on Sept. 2, when Steve Purdy knocked heads with an Islanders attacker hard enough to blur Purdy’s vision. The Timbers still got the shutout.

“Our roster is so deep for every position,” said defender Stephen Keel, who has appeared in four of the last six games. “That’s one of the beauties of our team and our strengths. One guy goes out and we don’t miss a beat when another comes in.”

Keel attributes some of the success to strong crowd turnouts during the three-game homestand culminating with the Puerto Rico win – in the team’s last game at the under-renovation PGE Park – on Sept. 2.

“Having 15,000 people behind you, the concentration level is a little higher and we’ve just been able to carry that forward,” Keel said.

Of course, the Timbers back line will need to hold onto that momentum through three more road games over the next three weeks, not least of which is this Saturday against the crafty Islanders. They knocked the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS out of the North and Central American champion’s league competition this summer, and they beat USSF Division-2 power Austin, 3-1, in Puerto Rico on Saturday.

“Puerto Rico is very dangerous,” said Joy. “They have some great players who like go after you one vs. one. Their striker’s not bad either. Fortunately, last game we contained them. We stuck to our guns.

“It’s going to be a different game down there,” he continued. “You travel there, you got to get used to the weather, and the time zone. It’s not very easy. But with the attitude we have, we’ll be fine.”

Built in the early 1960s, the Rose Quarter was part of a legendary wave of regional projects that included I-5, the Fremont Bridge and Legacy Emmanuel Hospital. The redevelopment led to the demolition of 1,376 homes in North/Northeast Portland and the leveling of most of the area’s African-American neighborhood. The Rose Quarter alone was responsible for the loss of 488 homes.

At a September subcommittee hearing of the Portland Development Commission, Jay proposed that the city create a dedicated local fund to assist local business and struggling social service nonprofits in the area. The fund would draw 1 percent from the annual revenue of the Memorial Coliseum and Rose Quarter and a $1.99 surcharge on all tickets.

“What’s their slogan? Rise with us! Prove it!” said Jay as he playfully challenged the Trail Blazers, the Rose Quarter’s largest tenant, with his trademark theatricality. “This is their chance to go beyond giving out basketballs and free tickets to a game.”

Some question whether such a fund is legal. Others claim that it’s not fair to charge a business like the Blazers for what some have called reparations.

“It’s not reparations,” said Dr. T. Allen Bethel, president of the 125-church Albina Ministerial Alliance and a supporter of the proposal. “It’s for the neighborhood and any organization that would be impacted by Memorial Coliseum.”

For decades, the residents of the area have felt that the city and its investors have spurned them.

“There’s always a suspicion in this side of the neighborhood [that] people don’t put money into the East Side because it’s a minority neighborhood,” said Mike Warwick, a local developer and activist with the Eliot Neighborhood Association. “So they invest in the Pearl District and South Waterfront.”

Even the Rose Quarter itself invests its publicly generated dollars on the West Side.

The City of Portland’s Spectator Facilities Fund generates approximately $9 million a year through a six percent fee on ticket sales at the Rose Quarter, Memorial Coliseum and PGE Park. Every year, $6 million of that sum goes to pay down bonds.

In the past, the fund has paid for roads, parking garages and seismic upgrades at the Rose Quarter. Today, most of the money goes to pay for improvements that were made to PGE Park in 2001 and to offset the park’s annual financial losses, which can range from $500,000 to $1.2 million. In 2011, the fund will pay $12 million to help convert PGE Park to a soccer stadium. Of that amount, roughly $8.4 million will be generated at the Rose Quarter.

While it’s not clear if the Rose Quarter will ever pay the neighborhood a cash benefit, it’s very possible that neighborhood property taxes will make a cash payment to the Rose Quarter.

To finance renovations at the Rose Quarter, the city may use a network of funding that will most likely include money from North/Northeast Portland’s vast Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area.

An urban renewal area is a special geographic taxing district that directs local property taxes into improvement projects inside the district.

If you love collecting antiques and knickknacks, try your luck at the Rose City Collector’s Market. Sundays on Sept. 19, Oct. 31 and Nov. 21 you can head over to the Airport Holiday Inn on NE Columbia Boulevard to see if you find any treasures.

The Museum of Contemporary Craft

The Museum of Contemporary Craft has plenty of modern art to absorb on a rainy day. Through the end of October, you can enjoy an exhibit on Ai Weiwei’s urns, and there are always plenty of pieces to admire from their permanent collection.

The Yoga Project

As much as we love doing yoga poses outdoors, a soggy child’s pose doesn’t enthrall. So next time the clouds threaten, consider signing up for an indoor yoga class at The Yoga Project in Sellwood. Among its special classes are courses for The Larger Woman – the first in Portland to cater to this underserved demographic.

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

There are plenty of concerts and performances to take in at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall this fall. The 16-Grammy-winning jazz legend Chick Corea appears with his Freedom Band on Friday, Sept. 17. Primus (Sept. 22), Harry Connick Jr. (Sept. 28) and Belle & Sebastian (Oct. 19) are among the next artists to visit Portland.

Mount Angel’s Oktoberfest

Willkommen! Oktoberfest comes early when you’re at Mount Angel’s Oktoberfest Sept. 16-19. Live music on four stages, dancing, an arts & craft show, and of course a wide variety of ethnic foods. Grab some schnitzel and join the party.

Portland has the best participation rates in green power purchasing in the entire United States, with approximately 10 percent of the customers of Pacific Power and Portland General Electric buying green power. The national average is closer to 3 percent.

So why is the City of Portland calling upon local citizens to step up and buy more?

At the start of last month, the city, Pacific Power and PGE announced a “green power challenge,” calling upon citizens and businesses to enroll in a green power program. The goal was to get 1,000 new customers within eight weeks. Six weeks into this challenge, the numbers look good – 725 residents have signed up, and 25 new businesses.

“We had a pretty good rate of success in a recent green power challenge we did in Hillsboro, and when we got together with Pacific Power we decided, ‘Why not?’” said Thor Hinckley, manager of PGE’s renewable power program. “Our goal is to keep raising the bar higher.”

Green power programs generally work in one of two ways. Customers either buy renewable energy credits (RECs) – sometimes called green tags – in blocks (Pacific Power charges $1.95 for a 100-kilowatt block), or customers agree to an extra charge per kWh of electricity (PGE’s is $0.012 ). Both of these methods basically “offset” the electricity consumption of a home or business with renewable power –wind, solar, geothermal or biomass energy – and ensure that the utilities themselves are buying more renewables as part of their energy mix.

“Every other utility watches us,” Hinckley said. “Not only is it a strong personal value for PGE customers to buy pollution-free energy, it’s also lifting the bar for what other utilities will do.”

Yet another reason for Portland to entreaty its citizens to purchase green power is the city’s climate goal. Last year’s Climate Action Plan pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990’s emission levels by 2050.

“Getting customers to shift to green power really helps us on the pathway to that goal,” said Roy Kaufman, the City of Portland’s communications director.

And though Portland already has high participation rates, Kaufman says there’s plenty of room to grow.

“I think our high rate of participation illustrates the appetite Portlanders have for green power, and if we present people with the information, they will take the ball and run with it,” he said.

For Portland-based tea brewing company The Tao of Tea, buying green power was part of an overall sustainability strategy.

“I believe it will impact our bill by about 15 percent to 20 percent,” said owner Veerinder Chawla. “I think customers appreciate the initiative, so there’s a payback. We’ve also just begun to bottle our brewed tea, and this was a way for us to maintain a zero-waste facility as we grow.”

Hinckley said for most residential customers of either PGE or Pacific Power there are different affordable green power options, and that purchasing 100 percent renewable energy will entail an extra cost of approximately $10 per month. One “carrot” for PGE customers, he said, is the coupon program green-powered businesses are offering to customers.

“It’s creating a virtuous circle,” Hinckley said.

While Portland is asking citizens to step up to a green power program, the city also is pursuing its own green power goal, which is to get to 100 percent renewables by 2012. Currently, 8.9 percent of the city’s electricity is renewably generated, and most of that is from on-site generation, including power from the 260 kW solar system on the Portland Water Bureau’s Airport Way site and the 86 kW array at the East Portland Community Center.

It would cost the city about $1.5 million to purchase 100 percent renewable power annually, said the senior energy analyst David Tooze.

“Right now we don’t have the ability to afford that,” Tooze said. “In this economy, with hard budget decisions, agencies have had to make hard choices.”

The Portland Streetcar is one city agency that has chosen to purchase green power, and Tooze says all agencies have renewable purchasing goals. Getting to that 100 percent goal may be a challenge, but Tooze said he is optimistic.

“We’re a bit like a residential customer, we buy electricity like other customers, just on a much larger scale,” Tooze said. “We’ll develop on-site renewables when we’re financially able to do so, and consider certificates [RECs] as budgets allow.”

Symphony Fireworks 2
by Victor von Salza
http://www.flickr.com/photos/victorvonsalza/

It’s just like a bicycle, only it seats four at a time and breathes fire. Any questions?
Submitted by EnzymePDX Staff

As Metro, the region’s central planning authority, looks ahead to the next 30 years, it sees huge obstacles in the way of the region’s livability and prosperity. How will Metro expand the Urban Growth Boundary in a way that avoids the 12,000-acre planning and development train wreck that occurred in Damascus? Can Metro help head off a projected $15 billion to $20 billion road construction and maintenance shortfall? How will Metro address the concerns of businesses and residents about job growth, economic development and even schools and areas where Metro has no legal jurisdiction?

Jordan, for one, doesn’t think the region has the public consensus to deal with the challenge. Not yet.

“I realize I’ve dumped quite a load on you,” Jordan said at a recent briefing. Representatives from 14 special service districts, such as rural fire, water districts and suburban parks and recreation districts from around the region had gathered to hear Jordan pitch his broad vision of the solutions to problems that might face the region.

“I’m not convinced the model is right,” commented one man. “There’s a disconnect between recognizing that there isn’t a good environment here for small business.”

“Our average incomes are developing below the national average,” said another man. “Are we going to be able to attract people here?”

“I’m not convinced the agenda you’ve put here will make the triple bottom line,” said yet another.

It’s nothing that Jordan hasn’t heard before. Before he came on board in 2003 as Metro’s first COO, not unlike a city manager, Jordan was a Clackamas County commissioner and city administrator for the town of Canby. He knows the ins and outs of anti-government rhetoric and the concerns of rural constituents.

But these comments are part of a rising tide of concerns voiced by residents but also by leaders and the city of Portland that for more than a decade the region has been more focused on livability than job growth.

Paul Savas, the owner of an auto repair shop and candidate for Clackamas County commissioner, describes what he sees as a “disconnect” between planning for livability and keeping the growth of the region alive. He sees Metro’s current push to expand the UGB as a grim reminder of its last expansion in 2002.

“Metro brought 12,000 acres into the Urban Growth Boundary but never brought in any money for roads,” Savas said of the Damascus expansion in Clackamas County. “There’s no development out there. I wonder if we are dysfunctional.”

In 2002, Metro brought in the vast 12,020-acre swath of land in the Damascus/Happy Valley expansion. In the following years, Metro began a planning process that envisioned a bucolic region of dense, village-like developments separated by open space and farmland. But nothing was ever built, and the planning process sparked deep divisions in the community.

“Out here in Damascus, there’s nothing,” said Damascus City Manager Jim Bennett. “The planning was extremely controversial. Some folks didn’t know if they wanted to be in the UGB,” he said. “Some folks still don’t know.”

In 2004, voters incorporated the Damascus area into a city in order to assert more local control over planning. In 2008, voters passed four small-government initiatives that limited the city’s taxing powers and required it to compensate owners for lost property values resulting from new regulations and zoning changes.

The name is no exaggeration. In true torta tradition, the sandwiches are far too stuffed to stay between the bread. Once you unleash the paper that holds this tasty package together, grab a fork. Carne asada is delicious; lengua is divine. And where else but Super Torta can you find a pastrami quesadilla?

Por Que No?

Dandy tacos, petite but perfectly juicy. Porque Tinga – shredded Cascade Natural Beef in a smoky pasilla chile sauce – es muy bueno. Just say si to Por Que No?

Sanchez Taqueria

Wonderful giant tortas. This busy little place – it’s also a bakery – has expanded. Check out the old pictures from Michoacan and the Old Country. Sanchez Taqueria serves the real deal, as authentic as the photos on the wall.

El Sol de Mexico

Come hungry, really hungry. The menu is voluminous – crab quesadilla, anyone? – and the portions at El Sol de Mexico are Olympian. Grab a booth overlooking the scenic wetlands and relax – you’re going to be there awhile.

Javier’s Taco Shop

When it’s way past your bedtime and you get hit with a craving for a juicy burrito al Pastor, head to Javier’s Taco Shop for some satisfyingly-greasy Mexican relief. They’re open 24 hours, serve up hefty portions quick, and are just off the 405.