Wildwood Crows #2

Originally, I intended to capture all 30 crows in a single post, but there is too much to show. I took pity on you and the limited time I assume you have available to you, and split it down the middle at 15/15. Please see my last post to get the background on what this is all about – the free Art Trail of crows in Portland, Oregon, to celebrate the LAIKA movie that just released, called Wildwood.

This crow is entertaining; from the bigfoot in its eye, to the Hobo-with-dog crossing sign behind it, to the sassy woman walking nearby, the unhoused people sitting in the sun in a heavily touristed and hopefully generous population seeking our famous donuts. They watched me walking directly to the crow, take photos, then check my app for the next crow. They chose not to ask me for money. Ha!

One of the great things about LAIKA studio is that in these times of unease and failing support of AI, LAIKA is the opposite of AI. Artists and creators especially, have existential dread about the future of art of all kinds: writing, painting, film, music, voice, propaganda in the rolling waves of seeing what AI can do and how happily populations consume computer-generated work. It is getting very hard to discern a computer-generated bit of film today…except when it is stop motion animation. LAIKA takes a technology from the past, and uses today’s technology to make it outstanding. When you watch this movie, you are left with no doubt whatsoever that it was slowly and painstakingly created by hand. Wildwood took sixteen years from idea to theatres, they say, which is the opposite of lightning quick computer generated stuff.

I had many, many conversations with other crow hunters, like the three women pictured above, for whom I of course offered to take their photo. Locals and visitors all had fun on this hunt. I met an elder Portland couple hosting their daughter from Chicago, I met a new couple on a date from Vancouver, Washington. I met a mom taking her middle-school daughter to find the crows. I met young women girlfriends skipping and laughing in their short skirts and asking how many I had found and which one I wanted to find next. I met a convention of nurses visiting from Philadelphia. I met 40-something hippies, in love, and loving crows, who didn’t take photos, just wanted to see them all. From a distance, I spotted classy well-dressed older women, and 30-something young fashionable women, and fashionable young men, all seeking crows like me.

Of all the things you can be…be kind, this crow proclaims. I try to be, but I know I can always do better. I just loved the crow mohawk that is clear and let sunbeams shine through.

The sights in Chinatown are special. It’s a unique part of the city and I am always sad to see how far away from its heydey it remains. Efforts to revive Chinatown are often underway, and I have hopes that it will thrive again another day – hopefully with Chinese owned businesses and Chinese American community members here and successful. For now, the only place I come here for is the unmatched magnificence of the Lan Su Chinese Garden. I did not enter this time, but snapped photos of the crow there, and moved on.

The crow titled Sir Chester had the darling addition of a pocket watch.

On my way to see Vuela Corazon, I passed unhoused people enjoying the warm, dry, sunny afternoon. Three people sat on a bench in the park and laughed comfortably together. I smiled at them. The woman said, “I love your dress. You look amazing today.” which made me beam, naturally. For whatever reason, the heaps of people, their pets, and their belongings in dirty clusters here and there downtown don’t bother me much. What bothers me is that our community can’t seem to find a way to keep them safe and warm and dry and provide bathrooms and support for them. That breaks my heart. But the fact that they are between me and my destination only strikes me as another aspect of city living.

My perspective makes it easier for me to enjoy my visits to places of squalor, like what I saw in Cairo and Yangon. I was astonished to see the comparatively spotless unhoused community living in cardboard homes in a park in Shinjuku, and delighted when another unhoused Japanese man volunteered to help Kellen and I find our way when we were lost in Hiroshima at night, and then disappeared before I could thank him. I go through life aware that every person has the potential to harm me – but that’s probably my PTSD talking. I have been screamed at by street people, and followed by one, and I have crossed the street to avoid them on multiple occasions, so yeah, I’m not completely at ease. But I am grateful that I am able to be comfortable near them, while holding them in the same amount of cautious regard I hold most people in.

Vuela Corazon was beside a playground, and I was glad to see children playing there.

Powell’s is in the movie too, as you assumed. I am sure the crow The Shape of Us was spotted by more people than others, whose destination was Powell’s. In a world of digital, I love having a famous bookstore. I also love having a McMenamin’s location named after me.

The name Paul Birdyan is a play on Paul Bunyan, a famous legendary character of the Western United States. There are a few notable Paul Bunyan statues in Portland, and I think this crow is a nice addition.

Why, for the mirrorball, of course. The crow Mirrorball Messenger is currently fixed at the amazing disco plaza is called the Darcelle XV Plaza, named in honor of the late, and so great, drag performer Darcelle XV. This spot is where all the crows will convene – in a flock or a murder, you choose – on October 31st and November 1st.

Finally, it was my very last quest day, and I was determined to find the last six crows. A gorgeous day dawned in late October, and I thought I had time to get them all and still be home in time to make dinner. I went first to a crow that was in a strange location. I just read on Nancy’s blog at Rivers and Roads PDX, that there is a crow that deserves its own post, and I think it is this one. I am so eager to read her next post and see what the story is here.

Back Alley Flora contains a stunning array of city plants that sprout up in cracks and beside walls and along alleys in our city. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

With the creepy subject matter and the fall foliage behind, this one seemed like the perfect October crow! I liked the details of the little wormy things on the eyeball and coming out of the beak.

I know I was there for crows, but Portland is so beautiful. I couldn’t help myself and took many extra photos.

Midnight Crow is another stunning crow that mesmerized me when I got close to get the details. It really does look like an evergreen forest under starlight.

The beautiful crow Ravel is a portrait of Portland by the artist, with natural elements combined with city shapes and basketball. I like the combination of natural flowing lines with geometry and bold colours.

As The Crow Flies imagines a landscape – as evidenced by the topography lines. The artist was hoping to place the crow within the greater landscape, and that is exactly what happened for me. I also saw my own place in my landscape, as it was yet another day of hunting and exploring throughout this city, which was making me love her all over again as a result of immersing myself in her landscape.

In the image above on the left, I have carefully obscured two unhoused men, sitting beneath that small tree, with at least four animals between them, a couple pet carriers as well, a beautiful grey cat in a harness and leash sitting off to the side. I walked past and caught the middle of a conversation. “Oh, I will watch your cat for you, man.” “Thanks, man.” I wanted a photo of the cat, and looked back. Then I kept going. They were at peace and I didn’t know what torment I’d invite upon myself by drawing attention. See? Like I said above, not totally at ease.

There was another disco ball. Does Portland have two parks with gigantic disco balls? That’s amazing. I think these two particular public plazas are made better with sparkly light reflections.

Did you find all four? The disco ball, the stone ball in the pool, the eyeball, and the moon. 🙂 What an amazing crow is Flying Fields Forever! Just look at her detail: tiny fenced fields with tiny crows? dinosaurs? perched on them, a tiny cat, a tiny wolf soldier that looks like the wolves in the film, a tiny Pittock Mansion and St. Johns Bridge.

Can it be? My final crow is next? I was approaching Pioneer Courthouse Square, and couldn’t resist another photo.

At first, I did not take a photo without permission. The man was with his friend and they were visiting from Vancouver. He asked a lot of questions about me, my name, why I wanted a photo of his dog, what was I going to do with the photos. Then he insisted I take photos of him and his friend. He did not produce a phone, so I said I would take them on mine, and send them to him. I took a bunch of photos, he gave me his number, I sent them. I asked one more time, and that’s when I got the photo above.

Head still caught up in the interaction with the visiting couple, I popped in the code number for Overgrowth, and a banner appeared on my phone: “Congratulations! You’ve completed the trail. You’re an art trail superfan.” Oh hey! I did it! I found all 30 crows.

Movie thoughts: I am so, so sorry guys, but the story didn’t really capture me. The film is a masterpiece of human labor and creativity, attention to detail, exquisite artistry and talent. Please do go see it. It’s about a girl named Prue who thinks she knows everything, and her parents tell her how to keep her baby brother safe, but she thinks they are being overprotective and blatantly disobeys them. Her brother is then kidnapped by crows and the rest of the movie is her trying to get her brother back.

There is magic, talking animals, politics, devastation and madness caused by grief, and impotence caused by fear. There is a good lesson for today; because all the animal groups living separately in Wildwood and all suspicious of each other need to band together to thrive. In the end, Prue and a school friend and some animal and human friends they make along the way that bring them all together and reclaim their lands. There is a startlingly violent, full-scale war with trebuchets and beheadings in what almost seems like a children’s movie: don’t bring your children! The parents in the movie are ready to give up their baby when things seem challenging. There is corrupt bureaucracy and a spineless Governor Regent manipulated by a sleazy Grima Wormtongue, I mean, aide, who seem like powerful characters but there is no explanation of how they got that way or how they impact Wildwood, other than getting in Prue’s way for a little while. The villain is pretty well done though. The story itself didn’t tug at me.

Like the rest of the audience, though, I was delighted over and over with scene after scene after scene of Portland or Oregon landmarks: Powell’s, Voodoo Doughnuts, the bubblers, Wizard Island, Vista House. We actually POINTED at the screen, it was so fun. Pedro saw Beacon Rock and someone on TikTok said they saw Eagle Creek Trail. I recognized Oneonta Gorge and Ramona Falls and the view up Couch Street. The St. Johns Bridge is there, and the train bridge next to it, both leading into Forest Park, which is where the magical world of Wildwood is. All the neighborhoods are so typically Portland, and the bicycles, and even a tallbike! with a nod to the show Portlandia, and the Unipiper is there! The crows, the inside of Pittock Mansion is shown, the cherry trees in bloom at the Japanese American Memorial by Steel Bridge. I could keep going. I want the movie on DVD, so I can go through frame by frame and identify all the Oregon sights. It was so much fun.

Most of all, the landscapes are gorgeous. And real. The beautiful scenes are not make-believe. If you’ve ever wanted to see a collection of all the very best of Portland views, they are collected in the movie. Breathtakingly beautiful.