Steven Raspa
performing
"Crimes Against Reality!"
For Tentacle Session #16, we had the honor of having Steven Raspa as our featured artist and of holding the Session at the incredible Werepad. Thanks to The Werepad folks for booking us at the last minute!
Here’s what people are saying about Steven Raspa…
“Imaginative, gallant…and just a little bit odd.”
– The New York Times
“Insipid.”
– San Francisco Chronicle
“Another example of American innovation.”
– Japanese Prime Time Newscaster
“Complex and at times epic.”
– Philip Glass
“It’s all so much more than necessary.”
– German Tourist
And what does Steven Raspa have to say for his selves?
Tentacle Sessions presented Steven Raspa in “Crimes Against Reality!”
Steven Raspa is the creative force behind The Futura Deluxe Bubble Fountain & Porta-Temple, The Sacred Grove, and The Wheel of Faith. He’s “The HOPE-WISH-PRAY-DREAM guy,” and his inspirational public works have been featured and reviewed in international print and television, including SF Weekly, Public Art Review, Wired, New Art Examiner, The Washington Post, and The Village Voice. His work has appeared locally at Dance Mission Theater in "Nostalgia 3000," Burning Man, Dadafest, on the sides of downtown buildings, as well as at Crucible Steel Gallery, and the Luggage Store Gallery. He is currently working on an "unauthorized autobiographical fantasy" and is a founding member of international media supergroup, HAPPY.
But any portrait of Steven--or $teven Ra$pa, as he is also known--is crowded with other intriguing personalities who appear in close proximity to him and his work. Is it mere coincidence that Steven Raspa, Uncle Super Monopoly Lotto Man(!), The Prayer Keeper, Bethezda The Bewtiful, FLARE!, Stocking Man, Skeletor Space Mickey, and Santa Claw have never been seen in the same room at once--until now!? And what about The Hope Giver, The Wish Maker, the Dream Seeker, and all those bubbles? Is this a case of multiple personality disorder? Apocalyptic conspiracy? Or something far more amusing? The prosecution is calling it UNREALISTIC and they are intent on putting a stop to the nonsense and locking Mr. Raspa up for a long, long time!
Is Steven Raspa a fine artist, a con-artist, or a work of living art? Does anyone really know him? Does he even know himself? And who does he want to be next? We'll be calling in a few specialists to try to get some answers to these questions and others. Expert witnesses and special guest stars abound, all in the name of defending our common reality from Mr. Raspa’s vainglorious and rampant imaginations.
The Tentacle Team encourages you to make this scene in costume. Extra points if you dress as an impersonation of Mr. Raspa, or come as your own alter-ego!
OH YES! Arrive at 7pm sharp for the “HAPPY Happy Almost An Hour” featuring a distilled version of international media supergroup, HAPPY. Enjoy selected, modified and original compositions and multi-sensory stimulation specially designed to improve your mood! HAPPY features the creative talents of Dr. Friendly, Mr. POPular, and Ultra Famous. (Special Note: HAPPY is sponsored by LOVE COLAä. Remember to “ENJOY LOVE…AND LOVE YOUR COLA!”)
Hear HAPPY’s "Future Song"
Come learn about this enigmatic, inspirational, master in his own mind; and in the process you may well discover something about...your OWN selVES, your realitIES, and what inspires YOU!
WARNING: This evening is likely to incorporate bubbles and paparazzi flash bulbs. People with slick heels and pace makers may wish to consider staying at home and watching it all on television someday.
