Kelly McClure

Passive viewing has no place at the Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport, where Ed Marszewski and his grouping of ramrods and supporters of Lumpen Magazine hosted the opening of the Select Media Festival 6 on November 9th. From the opening of their doors at 8pm till the wee hours of the morning, a steady stream of sophisticated weirdos, dressed in every interpretation of "alien" imaginable, plopped down their $10 suggested donation at the door and wandered, glowing under wall to wall black lights, making Christmas morning face at the video and art installations surrounding them. Having turned the 5,000 square foot gallery into a colony called CP1, Marszewski invited anyone willing to give up on just looking, and truly space out for an evening. The highlight of the opening was the trip to "party planet" provided by a man-powered spaceship created by Thunderhorse. The spaceship was housed in the black hole (aka the basement) and looked like a janky wooden box being bounced around by some dudes from an outsider's prospective. Once in the ship, the five people taking the ride were immediately sold and screaming "whoo hoo" while sucking on beer bong tubes that hung from the ceiling like oxygen masks. "You're gonna need this helmet," one traveler commented to the next while tumbling out of the craft with protective gear in hand.

Select Media Festival, Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219-21 South Morgan, (773)827-0145, through November 17. http://selectmediafestival.org/2007/

(2007-11-13)

Also by Kelly McClure

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