Today, I woke up to the kind of weather that Portlanders don’t like to tell others about.  As far as the majority of you are concerned, it was a grey —I like to spell it that way because it emphasizes the “eh” sound and doesn’t rhyme with “yeah”—day. For the rest of you locals, you know that the air was crisp and clean, the sun arced across the south half of the sky, and nary a windshield wiper squealed all the way home. I’m sure I was supposed to do something inside but instead I headed out to Interstate Avenue to do some prep work for an upcoming project.

On Interstate there is a string of old school motels that may have been built in the late 50’s. They all have great signs but by far the king of them is The Palms Motor Hotel with it’s rusty metal and neon mirage of two palm trees and a monkey growing out of the dessert that is Portland, Oregon. This area of town has seen the worst of it with poverty, drugs, and all the pitfalls that befall any neighborhood that is separated from the one that is knighted “Down Town.” But recently it’s been getting it’s tummy tucked and crows feet smoothed over. The roots have been freshly dyed and new establishments like “New Seasons” have sounded the call that it’s okay to come outside. I wonder what will be the fate of these motels. I’m not sure who is actually using them at this point because there are nicer hotels just a mile down the road with more amenities and the glitter of being in down town Portland. As the neighborhood  grows and becomes more affluent and family friendly, then the need for hourly rates and cheap living becomes less necessary.

So I’m not sure what’s to become of the Palms but today it is my subject. And the assignment of the day is to see if I can photograph the 30 foot sign it a way that will make it seem as if it is a toy model. If successful, then I will be able to move deeper into the set design of our Fall show Psycho. I’m working with projections of still and motion photography and manipulating size and perspective to create a world where it is uncertain what is real and what is artificial. The way I see it, Norman Bates has lost that foundation himself and lives within a Fun House of mirrors distorting the reflections of people and places that surround him. It’s not easy to navigate a world where obstacles that loom large suddenly slip beneath your feet and chores that seems so insignificant knock you flat on your back. I’m certain that’s one of the many reasons people are drawn to Norman when they should be disgusted. We’ve all been there…at least emotionally.

So here are a few shots from the day’s scouting. They may or may not make it into the show but they may influence the final product. Enjoy.