Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Material culture
by Celine Wright
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Think of it as a "big, cultural, archaeology project," with '60s poster art, Victorian hair wreaths and images of life in early Colorado Springs. That "it" — the force pulling these seemingly disparate objects together — is The Big Something.
Founded by Noel Black and Craig Richardson (both former Independent employees) in 2009, The Big Something is a daily newsletter that feeds its subscribers audio, visual and written media, often pulled from the Springs' own dusty ground.
"The idea was to find and unearth a different cultural representation of the Pikes Peak region than had dominated the mass media over the past 20 to 25 years," Black says, "and to present it back to the community."
Backed by KRCC-FM 91.5, the multimedia endeavor has generated radio pieces irregularly. But this month, it's reaching into an entirely new, physical realm with an art exhibition.
At Colorado College's Coburn Gallery, viewers will see in The Big Something Exhibition how Black and Richardson identify signs of little-known cultural life and history. Take, for instance, past featured artist Roy Linton, whose retro posters will hang in the show: "They're these sort of crazy, hippie posters from back in the '60s that we found," says Black. "I look forward to seeing them back on the wall."
Visitors will see other physical artifacts of past favorites, like images from the Pikes Peak Library District's Digital Archive, the aforementioned wreaths from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, and toys by local artist Sean O'Meallie.
"The idea is that here are these things in digital format," says Black, "but it would be nice to present them in a live, visual, tangible setting, and get people together, rather than it just be through the web."
The exhibit will also feature more interactive components like a phone-booth story booth, where guests can both give their input on the show and tell their own tales.
