Giant Squid: Exhibition Opening December 7, 2007

Giant Squid
Cassandra Nguyen

Opening Reception: December 7, 6-9pm

With poetry, live drawings and other activities by the Cephalopod Appreciation Society; squid snacks; and inky cocktails.



The mysterious and elusive giant squid resides in the deepest water of the ocean and is usually not seen by humans, but a few will make a rare appearance at McLeod Residence this December thanks to New York artist Cassandra Nguyen. Giant Squid will open with a reception on December 7, 2007, from 6-9 pm, and runs through December 29.

Cassandra's squid are actually stuffed animals, created in a variety of fabrics including ultrasuede, velvet, brocade, felt and toile. The three at McLeod Residence will each be about 20 feet long, the size of an adolescent giant squid. Cassandra became interested in giant squid after seeing a documentary on the cephalopods. The idea of being the largest creature on earth and yet never seen fascinated her. When she couldn't find anyone selling a stuffed squid, she decided to make her own and eventually refined a pattern that includes a secret pocket. Eventually she plans to make one that is 60 feet long, the size of a full grown giant squid.

Her squid are available for adoption at McLeod Residence during the month and a portion of the proceeds from each adoption goes to charity. Cassandra was recently featured in Giant Robot magazine and is also showing her squid at the Royal/T gallery and cafe in Los Angeles.

Members of Seattle's Cephalopod Appreciation Society will be on hand at the opening party to help disseminate facts and enthusiasm about the elusive giant squid, and will facilitate live drawing, squid poetry, and other activities to help creatively further our understanding.

Going on its 6th year, the Cephalopod Appreciation Society has been meeting annually at the NW Film Forum to learn about and celebrate all things cephalopod. (Cephalopods = Squid, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Chambered Nautilus.) Past annual spring gatherings have included film, poetry, song, art, musical slideshows, dance, stickers, scientific lectures and impassioned speeches. This September, the Cephalopod Appreciation Society was invited by the Burke Natural History Museum to curate a cephalopod-inspired poetry reading for the grand opening of its new "In Search of Giant Squid" exhibit.

Also showing this month is Glimpses from China, a series of photographs by Sami Khoury. Sami lived and worked in China for six months this year and documented his journey in these vivid images from a country undergoing a rapid transformation.

The South Room features a "best of" exhibit of the year's light box images. The Lounge features McLeod Residence's ongoing installation of neon work by Jeremy Bert and Jen Elek and furniture by Gary Andolina. The Water Closets will continue to house the Barbarian Group's McLeod Mirror Series 1: See Yourself In Others. Maggie Orth's Petal Pushers and the Barbarian Group's Biomimetic Butterflies will continue to be shown in the McLeod Room and, at accessible price points, make excellent holiday gifts for beginning art collectors.

McLeod Residence, located at 2209 Second Avenue in Seattle, Washington, is a home for extraordinary living through art, technology and collaboration. Proprietors Buster McLeod and Lele McLeod founded McLeod Residence in 2006. McLeod Residence is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm. For more information, contact McLeod Residence at 206-441-3314 or visit www.mcleodresidence.com.

Official Website: http://www.mcleodresidence.com