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Thumbing through "Pages"

Comments (0) By Troy Schulze Thursday, May 4 2006

Put together with the idea that the featured artwork is exceptionally "current," Space 125 Gallery's exhibit "Ripped from the Pages" name-drops the poker phenomenon, Hurricane Katrina, video surveillance and…um…the always timely subject of drinking.

Seth Mittag and Peter Precourt's installation is a poker-chip-eye's view of a game in progress. Patrons can walk upon the green felt of the table, past larger-than-human-scale chip stacks, and gaze up at the players (video projections) while a soundtrack narrates the betting and banter.

The work of native New Orleanian Matthew Sontheimer explores the trails left by fractured handwriting samples and code. He collected stories written by children directly affected by Hurricane Katrina and rendered the handwritten text as abstract imagery. The drawings examine dealing with disaster — in hindsight.

Perhaps most visually arresting, William Betts's Panopticon Seriesuses single drops of paint to render screen shots from surveillance cameras. The chilly, pixilated pictures evoke the paranoia and fear printed on every morning's front page.

And Houston Press writer Keith Plocek has created a series of beer coasters, each with a single word on it. (Think refrigerator word magnets.) One set will be on display, and visitors are encouraged to mix up the words on the spot. The real fun begins when Plocek drops his sets off at local bars, where tipsy patrons can create their own poetry.

Opening reception 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
Thu., May 4, 6-8 p.m.; Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Starts: May 4. Continues through June 8