(Above: Bonnie, #2 on the runway, wearing the dress created from artificial flowers collected from cemetery dumpsters.)
Today I feel like I'd been run over by a truck. I'm old. I can no longer "party" to the wee hours of the morning, several nights in a row. I need EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP and I haven't been getting it! Why? Thursday was Earth Day and Artista Vista; I worked all day and was out until 2 AM. Friday was Runway Runway; I worked all day and was out until 2 AM. On Saturday I worked on xylene photo transfers until I went to the Dining With Friends Aids Benefit party; I was out until 11 PM. I finished over 33 photo transfers for my Decision Portrait Series on Sunday, fell into bed at 11 :30 and woke up exhausted. The pace and late night hours caught up....
BUT IT WAS FUN!
I already posted the photos from Thursday. I forgot to take any on Saturday....so, here's the images from Runaway Runway. No, my dress made entirely of artificial flowers from the cemetery dumpsters took no award. I honestly didn't think it would. This is an event that is "for the fun of it". Some of the garments were spectacular; some were just plain silly; some were very clever uses of discarded items; some are likely in a landfill now. Remember....this was for fun. I embraced the "fun" aspect of it and provided my model with a live prop: a tall male model dressed only in a geranium covered dance belt tossing artificial flower blossoms from an over-sized basket....trailing behind her, tossing petals into the air. The roar from the crowd was so loud that the dress description wasn't audible. Cameras flashed like mad. It was a sensation and can be seen on a video made by The State Newspaper HERE. (The clip is within the first 21 seconds after an annoying 30 second car ad.) A dress made from the old college card catalog cards took the top prize.
Because I was a "designer" I had to be on site by 5 PM. Many of the designers were still "putting together" their outfits, gluing things on, taping problem areas. Of course, my outfit really IS A DRESS....washable, wearable, and slipped on over the head in about 15 seconds or less. This gave me a lot of time to watch the event set up. The doors opened at 6. The "entertainment" started at 7 and the girls came down the runway at 7:30. The theme of recycling was beautifully everywhere....from the "Recycling is Sexy" t-shirt clad guys bringing in "green" trash bins...
....to the Fetzer "Earth Friendly Wine".....
...to the 360 Eco-friendly Vodka...
....to the recycled gift pins that were presented to all the judges by Runaway Runway, chairman, Gene Bell (below)!
There were fourteen judges, most local celebrity types and people associated with the Columbia Design League, the group hosting Runaway Runway.
The judges spent some time backstage chatting with the models who were lined up by number. Bonnie was obviously #2.
The following images are from this time backstage.
Then, five drag queens put on a fantastic pre-runway show. (This was an OVER 21 Only crowd....except for a few entries who had to have parental permission to participate!)
Then The Lady Chablis, famous from the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, took total command of the catwalk....strutting her stuff....lip-syncing and teasing and wiggling....
....and even stepping down onto the front row seats.....mingling with the crowd and flirting with the numerous cameras. It was a treat. She's two older than me.....hard to believe!
Then the show started!
Bonnie looked great! As I mentioned above, her "prop" was fantastic.
When all 48 had their quick minute up and down the catwalk, all were brought back in....
...for one last look....
...while images, like the one with Bonnie above, were projected onto the walks.
My other cemetery flower dress was worn by a friend Paige Haas. We posed for one another....and for dozens of other people too!
Here's Paige above and her (below) with our mutual friend Kirkland Smith, who also has a studio at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios and is very well known for her recycled trash assemblages.
Maria Vick, a new friend, posed with Paige and I. She was one of the event volunteers.....who had to wear black instead of something "fun".
So....that was Friday. Scroll up for my weekend of xylene photo transfers and an update on the Decision Portrait Series.
2 comments:
This looks like SO MUCH FUN!!! Thank you so much for posting all the great photos!!! I was anxious to see them! You look great and so do you models. I'm going to look at the clip in just a minute!
What an exciting and fun event and you looked amazing :o)!
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