| Robot Alley | |
|---|---|
 Part of the alley, and its creator Plastorm | |
 | |
| Artist | Robert B. Fortney |
| Completion date | Ongoing |
| Medium | Mixed media |
| Movement | |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| 45°33′15″N122°40′22″W / 45.55418°N 122.67282°W | |
Robot Alley is an art installation by Robert B. Fortney, located in an alley off Skidmore Street in Portland, Oregon.
The interactive installation Robot Alley is located in an alley off Skidmore Street, between Borthwick and Kerby Avenues, [1] in the north Portland part of the Boise neighborhood. It depicts Stormtroopers, droids, Sith lords, [2] and other Star Wars characters. The project started as a DIY security system and has become an attraction. [3] [4] [5] The installation has cameras, facial recognition technology, a fog machine, LED lights, microphones, motion sensors, and a plywood AT-ST Walker by local artist Mike Bennett. Robot Alley's creator Robert Fortney, who is also a film editor, [6] sometimes appears as "alter ego" character Plastorm, wearing armor and a helmet inspired by The Mandalorian. [7]
Robot Alley was included in the Los Angeles Times 's 2023 list of twelve family-friendly activities in the Portland metropolitan area. [3] Neighbors to the alley have reacted positively, stating that it has cut-down on crime (as originally intended), and increased the sense of community. [7]
Events from the year 2000 in art.
Old Town Chinatown is the official Chinatown of the northwest section of Portland, Oregon. The Willamette River forms its eastern boundary, separating it from the Lloyd District and the Kerns and Buckman neighborhoods. It includes the Portland Skidmore/Old Town Historic District and the Portland New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been referred to as the "skid row" of Portland.
The Burnside Triangle, also known as Pink Triangle or Vaseline Alley, was a triangular district in Portland, Oregon, United States, known for its relatively higher density of LGBTQ and gay-friendly businesses.
Alberta Arts District is a commercial district in Portland, Oregon which connects the Concordia, King and Vernon neighborhoods in the Northeast quadrant of the city. The district centers on NE Alberta Street, and stretches approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km), from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to NE 33rd Avenue.
Wynne Greenwood is a queer and lesbian feminist performance artist who works in various media such as installation art, photography, filmmaking and music. One of her well known projects include the electropop and video project group, Tracy + the Plastics. Wynne works out of Seattle, Washington, and was an instructor in the Department of Art and Art History at Seattle University.
Ace Hotel is a chain of hotels headquartered in Los Angeles and New York City. Founded in 1999 in Seattle, it operates hotels Internationally in 4 continents, with locations in; Brooklyn, New York City; Palm Springs, California; Seattle, Washington; Kyoto, Japan; Toronto, Canada; and Sydney, Australia with hotels soon to open in Athens, Greece and Fukuoka, Japan.
"Keep Portland Weird" is a popular slogan that appears on bumper stickers, signs, and public buildings throughout Portland, Oregon and its surrounding metro area. It originated from the "Keep Austin Weird" slogan and was originally intended to promote local businesses, though it has since evolved into an all-encompassing slogan that secondarily promotes individuality, expressionism, local art, as well as atypical lifestyle choices and leisure activities. The slogan frequently inspires articles and debate that attempt to quantify the exact level to which Portland is considered weird, unusual or eccentric. It has been called the unofficial motto of Portland, as well as the informal mantra of the city's residents.
Horse rings, remnants of a time when horses and horse-drawn vehicles provided the primary mode of transportation, can be found throughout Portland, Oregon. They were removed from curbs and sidewalks for safety purposes until the late 1970s, when one Portland resident complained about the rings disappearing. Today, the city of Portland helps to preserve the rings by requiring them to be replaced following sidewalk construction or repair.
XOXO was an annual festival and conference held in Portland, Oregon, that described itself as "an experimental festival for independent artists who live and work online". XOXO was founded in 2012 by Andy Baio and Andy McMillan with funding from prepaid tickets and other contributions via Kickstarter. In 2016, technology website The Verge called it "the internet's best festival".
The Promised Land is a bronze sculpture by David Manuel that was formerly installed in Chapman Square, in Portland, Oregon. The sculpture, erected in 1993, depicts a pioneer family at the end of their journey. It was removed from public display in 2020 in response to vandalism and racial justice concerns during the George Floyd protests.
Constellation is a series of outdoor 2000 bronze sculptures by American artist Tad Savinar, installed at Holladay Park in northeast Portland, Oregon, United States. The work's three "distinct elements" include:
Dog Bowl is a 2002 outdoor sculpture by dog photographer William Wegman, located in the North Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon, United States.
The Packy mural was a public artwork depicting the elephant Packy, painted on the Skidmore Fountain Building in Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood. The artwork was designed by Eric Larsen and painted in 1990 by North Pacific Sign and Design, but was destroyed during the building's 2008 renovation to become the new headquarters for Mercy Corps.
K-2SO is a droid character in the Star Wars franchise, first appearing in the 2016 film Rogue One. He is a CGI character voiced and portrayed through motion capture by Alan Tudyk. In the film, K-2SO is a reprogrammed Imperial security droid and the co-pilot of Cassian Andor.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
The Portland Skidmore/Old Town Historic District is an historic district in Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, in the United States. The approximately 20-block area, center around Burnside Street and named after the Skidmore Fountain, is known for exhibiting Italianate architecture, though High Victorian Italianate, Renaissance Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Sullivanesque styles are also present. In addition to Skidmore Fountain, structures within the district's boundaries include the Blagen Block, Delschneider Building, Hallock and McMillin Building, New Market Theater, New Market Alley Building, New Market Annex, and Poppleton Building.
Tamale Boy is a Mexican restaurant chain with multiple locations in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, in the United States.
Coraline's Curious Cat Trail was a temporary art installation in Portland, Oregon, United States. The series featured 31 fiberglass statues of cats decorated by various artists, inspired by the 2009 animated film Coraline, which were installed across the city during August 2 – October 13, 2024. Following public display, the sculptures will be auctioned off with proceeds benefitting Oregon Health & Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital. The project was a collaborative effort by the hospital, Laika, Downtown Portland Clean and Safe, Visit Downtown, and art installation producer Wild in Art. The final designs were selected from 80 submissions. Sponsors included The Oregonian and Wieden+Kennedy.
Wonderwood is an immersive art installation space with an adjoining coffee shop called Wonderwood Springs, in Portland, Oregon, United States. Artist Mike Bennett opened both spaces in north Portland's St. Johns neighborhood in 2022. The art installation space was converted into the nine-hole miniature golf course Wonderwood Springs Mini-Golf in 2024.
