The End (of "Undead")

Some final images of the Undead show, a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers.

Consumption, control, attraction, repulsion... Capes. Fear. Lines of defense. Why do zombies and vampires continue to captivate our cultural imagination? Undead is artwork and writings that explore these fetid creatures of film, folklore and nightmares.

Featuring art by Jessica Balsam, Jessica Bender, Marc Dombrosky, Shannon Eakins, Matt Johnson, Lisa Kinoshita, Peter Lynch, Saya Moriyasu, Jennifer Peters, James Porter, Elise Richman, Julie Rivera, Chris Sharp, and Randy Wood.

As well as a folio including writing and art by Jessica Balsam, Marc Dombrosky, Bob Fingerman, Ben Paulson, Brooks Peck, and Brad Young. Contact thetelephoneroom@gmail.com for copies of the folio.

Undead at the Telephone Room Gallery, October 2009.

Undead at the Telephone Room Gallery, October 2009.

Randy Wood, Dogula. Papermache, wire, ink, marbles. 2009.

Randy Wood is a Seattle cartoonist/sculptor/painter. He is a member of the artist run gallery, SOIL, and teaches cartooning classes at Pratt and Gage Academy.
www.randywoodart.com

Julie Rivera, Untitled. Photograph. 2009.

Elise Richman, Wolf Man. Gouache on Illustation Board. 2009.

Elise Richman is a Tacoma based artist with an MFA from American University and a BFA in painting from the University of Washington.

James Ackerley Porter, TURNED. Charcoal/graphite/vinyl/collage. 2009.

Chris Sharp, Creep. Sign paint on sign board. 2009.

“Local award winning artist Chris Sharp is totally fine.” –Chris Sharp

Matt Johnson, Lestat the Elder: The Cleansing. Doily, crystal glass, dentures, water, Alka-Seltzer tablets. 2009. Price: Your soul or best offer.

www.mattjohnsonart.com

Lisa Kinoshita, NO HOST BAR. Sterling silver barbed wire, silver shark’s tooth (cast from fossilized tooth), leather. 2009.

www.lisakinoshita.com

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime -- email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

Fearpump

Peter Lynch is a musician and sound designer in Seattle whose band "Library Science" fends off the zombie tendencies of lacklustre crowds at local rock shows with flashing lights and dancey beats.
www.libsci.com

"My brother just had twins and the baby monitor is a permanent fixture in whatever room he spends his time. I was going to do something with baby monitors, but ended up discovering the prenatal heart monitor while shopping for used baby monitors and thought that could be much more interesting.

'Fearpump' is a prenatal heart monitor linked to a postmortem soundtrack through the participant's heartbeat. The heartbeat is the first exposure we have to rhythm before we are even born. It may have been the catalyst for music to be invented. In this way, I hoped to make a thing where the heartbeat was somehow interacting with and mutating music.

The movie score I wrote is for a short film called 'El Borracho' which isn't released yet. It is a zombie film wherein the hero keeps his blood thin through alcoholism and saves himself from contagion."
—Peter Lynch


Peter Lynch, Fearpump [Your heartbeat mutates the score to "El Borracho", a zombie film]. Prenatal heart monitor, CD player, audio signal processors, excerpts from the score to "El Borracho" (2009, short film by Will Hoppins), headphones, red latex paint. 2009.

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

The Making of Thriller

"Jessica's dad dubbed 'The Making of Thriller' on VHS when she was a kid, resulting in her viewing the documentary more times than she can count. What she and her brother loved most about Michael Jackson was his dancing. She never learned the full zombie dance from the Thriller video (though it is still one of her goals), but she and her brother once recreated the "Beat It" fight dance using toothpaste tubes trimmed to look like switchblades."
—Jessica Balsam

Jessica hopes to finish and publish her "Making of Thriller" graphic novel memoir in the next year.

Jessica Balsam, Page from an upcoming graphic novel on “The Making of Thriller,” ink on paper, 2009.

Jessica Balsam, The Funk of Forty Thousand Years, ink on paper, 2009.

Jessica Balsam is a Tacoma artist who wants the world to remember what Michael Jackson looks like as a zombie so we won't kill him when he comes back as one.

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

Undead Filmography

There are, of course, many many opinions on what movies you should be watching this month, so here's a few more recommendations.

31 Days of Zombie Movies:
www.projectionbooth.blogspot.com/2007/09/photo-sharing-and-video-hosting-at.html

Day 1: Dawn of the Dead (Zack Snyder, 2004)
Day 2: 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2003)
Day 3: Undead (Michael and Peter Spierig, 2003)
Day 4: Tombs of the Blind Dead and Return of the Blind Dead (Amando de Ossorio, 1971/1973)
Day 5: Homecoming (Joe Dante, 2005)
Day 6: The Return of the Living Dead (Dan O'Bannon, 1985)
Day 7: Land of the Dead (George A. Romero, 2005)
Day 8: Oasis of the Zombies (Jesus Franco, 1981)
Day 9: 28 Weeks Later (Juan Carlos Fresnallido, 2007)
Day 10: Revolt of the Zombies (Victor Halperin, 1936)
Day 11: Resident Evil (Paul W.S. Anderson, 2002)
Day 12: I Walked with a Zombie (Jacques Tourneur, 1943)
Day 13: Zombi 2 (Lucio Fulci, 1979)
Day 14: King of the Zombies (Jean Yarbrough, 1941)
Day 15: White Zombie (Victor Halperin, 1932)
Day 16: Planet Terror (Robert Rodriguez, 2007)
Day 17: The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (Ray Dennis Steckler, 1964)
Day 18: Braindead (Peter Jackson, 1992)
Day 19: They Came Back (Robin Campillo, 2004)
Day 20: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (Alexander Witt, 2004)
Day 21: The Plague of the Zombies (John Gilling, 1966)
Day 22: Re-Animator (Stuart Gordon, 1985)
Day 23: Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
Day 24: The Dead Pit (Brett Leonard, 1989)
Day 25: The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)
Day 26: The Serpent and the Rainbow (Wes Craven, 1988)
Day 27: Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (Jorge Grau, 1974)
Day 28: Evil Dead II (Sam Raimi, 1988)
Day 29: Day of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1985)
Day 30: Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978)
Day 31: Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)Closing Thoughts

Top 70 Vampire Movies of all Time:
www.snarkerati.com/movie-news/top-70-vampire-movies-of-all-time

1. Nosferatu (1922)
2. Dracula (1931)
3. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
4. Black Sunday (1960)
5. Martin (1977)
6. Horror of Dracula (1958)
7. Near Dark (1987)
8. Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary (2002)
9. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)
10. Cronos (1993)

The Best and Worst Vampire Movies:
www.cinematical.com/2009/08/06/the-best-and-worst-vampire-movies

A comprehensive "Vampire Filmography" from Washington State University:
www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/vampirefilms.html

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

Zombify Yourself

It can happen to anyone really. So suddenly and often without any warning. And it's so permanent.

Not any more! Now at last, you can get that chic zombie look without permanently sacrificing your long-term ambitions. Think of the possibilities: high school grad, weddings, work ID photos, family reunion photos... zombify yourself and add your photo to the Telephone Room Gallery's facebook fans photos!
www.zombify-yourself.net
www.facebook.com/Telephone.Room.Gallery?v=photos


Zombified Ellen.


Zombified Marty and Quatchi.


Zombified Chica (at 7 weeks old).

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

Zombie and Damsel at Wright Park

"In this moment, her memory lives on, captured in perpetual hope and terror of escaping or succumbing to the insatiable undead. Using photography as a starting point for every project has helped me zero in on beginning new work.

Zombie and Damsel at Wright Park is a contemporary Victorian Death/Photo Collage of digital prints on matte cardstock with a blank, gessoed canvas background. I chose the Tacoma local, W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park, as the backdrop of this Victorian era inspired piece. The conservatory is one of the few remaining Victorian style conservatories on the West Coast. The visual discourse of the zombie and damsel are in reverence of the Victorian Death photography style. Although one remains as the walking dead, the damsel may not be far behind. In this moment, her memory lives on, captured in perpetual hope and terror of escaping or succumbing to the insatiable undead."
–J.A. Peters.

Website coming soon! For the moment, please take a look at the artist's ever growing photographic library at: www.flickr.com/photos/jpeters/sets.


J.A. Peters, Zombie and Damsel at Wright Park. Digital prints on matte cardstock, gessoed canvas background. 2009.

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

Cocktails for the Undead

The Vampire
(also known as Purple Haze)
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz black raspberry liqueur
cranberry juice

Pour the vodka and black raspberry liqueur into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

The Zombie
1 1/4 oz lemon juice
1 oz dark rum
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz cherry brandy
1/2 oz light rum
1/2 oz high-proof dark rum
2 dashes grenadine

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass with crushed ice.

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

Soundtrack to Your Life

If you've been searching for a soundtrack to your life lately, and if you fear zombies, then this might be the song for you:


www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6vnM9I7HIo

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

Survival Skills

Like any good guidance counsellor, the Telephone Room Gallery wants you to be prepared for life and art. And like any good guidance counsellor knows, the best way to be prepared is to take a multiple choice quiz. Take a good hard look at yourself and ask yourself What are your chances of surviving a Zombie Apocalypse? (It's a multiple choice quiz actually, not just a single question.)

Depending on your results from the above quiz, you will now probably need more information about how to defend yourself and how to create a zombie survival kit. If you're in a hurry, just add a weapon to your FEMA basic survival kit. If you want to survive, read on:

• everything zombies: www.zombiehub.com/zombie-survival-kit.html
• includes videos: www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com
• from a medical viewpoint: www.medicalsuppliesblog.com/2009/08/18/zombie-survival-kit-your-line-of-defense-against-zombies (dedicated to "discussing and comparing the best medical supplies and equipment")

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

There's a day for everything

What better day to start our month of Undead blog posts than World Zombie Day!?!
Yes, today, October 11, 2009, is World Zombie Day.
www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-ae.mo.zombies09oct09,0,415347.story


If you're like Heide, you should probably read the Wikipedia entries for vampires and zombies. Or maybe search the archives of The New Yorker (more on that later).

If you're like Marty and Ellen, supplementary reading on zombies and vampires won't be necessary.

Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.

RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

What's that ever-so-slowly shuffling its way toward you? It's the UNDEAD!

Undead: a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers opens this week at the Telephone Room Gallery!

You'll see new names along with some familiar TRG contributors, and we'll be distributing a special, very limited edition companion publication to the exhibition.

It all happens at the opening, this Wednesday from 5 - 9 pm, only at the Telephone Room Gallery!

But remember: beware The Vampire Lovers....



Undead is a group exhibition inspired by braineaters and bloodsuckers. On view from October 7 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—don't be scared, email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com.