Swancon 36 / Natcon 50 Report B
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Dealers Room
The Dealers Room was full of awesome, and I congratulate those responsible for expanding the range of stuff wot to spend money on. The temporary tattoo booth added a fun carnival air, and the lockable space made for more interesting displays unhindered by the need to pack up every day. I bought a brain cell and a lot of books. Wanted to buy a few presents too but the budget threw up its hands in horror.
Tick.
Professional Art Show
The Professional Art Show did indeed seem very professional, with the exception of the labels. Clearly I am not of the target magnifying-glass-carrying munchkin demographic. Eric Ripper did a pleasantly surprising job of the launch, although it's a shame he had to compete against so much noise.
As a matter of taste only I found the collection a little bland. I'm surprised by my reaction, for the artists merely worked consistently to the theme, and normally I'd revel in that. It was all consistently good, too, so why should I feel uncomfortable about that? It makes no sense at all. I adored quite a few of the pieces on an individual basis (moonvoice you rock like a rocking thing).
See below.
Fan Art Show
Over the years I've participated in the FAS as an entrant, won a few prizes (although not for some time), run it once, babysat it a few times, spruiked "See the Art! Bid for the Art! Vote for the Art!" more than a few times, and observed with interest the development of certain people's work over the course of many years. That Shaun Tan guy might go somewhere I reckon.
It's a tough, labour-intensive thing to run, but I never realised how much I loved it until this year. Everyone involved is to be congratulated for their efforts and dedication.
Someone had the idea to put the FAS in the Dealer's room. There are a lot of reasons to like this concept. Off the top of my head I can list the following:
* The artwork can stay up the full length of the con.
* You don't need to find someone to babysit the show every moment it's open.
* Con-goers didn't need to locate a separate room to find the art show.
* Good chance of more eyeballs than usual.
* The art show didn't take up programming floorspace.
* No need for a fast labour-intensive takedown mid-con to make room for programming.
* Extra atmosphere/shiny things for the dealers room itself.
* Almost unlimited wall space, with a greater allowance for late entries.
I'd buy that for a dollar.
In practice, however, things didn't go so well. I walked right past the art show more than once on my way into the dealers room and never knew it was there. It was variously dark, tucked away, and in a few cases just a bit too well integrated with the rest of the room. Entries seemed down, and although there were some highlights, it's clear that the professional show skimmed the cream from the usual heady mix of subjects and standards. In hindsight it's that very heady mix I found missing from the professional show, and it's that which I have belatedly discovered I love.
There were very few bids I hear. There are a lot of reasons that might happen. I wonder if voting numbers were down. I voted, but then I knew voting happened and was going to happen when I stumbled across the ballot box. Without a receptionist, it wasn't really clear to newcomers how the whole thing was supposed to work.
I missed the community spirit of the usual fan art show, the inclusiveness, the individuality, and I never really appreciated it until now. Frankly, this is a shock to my system; I like shiny, organised things, but it would appear there is still a place in my heart for romance.
Gaming Space
The gamers seemed to get the short end of the stick this year, being placed in a non-lockable thoroughfare that was cleared at the insultingly early hour of midnight every night. Granted this did make it easier for the non-gamers to have a squiz at the tables, but the price for the gamers themselves was high. I saw no signs of gaming co-ordination; it seemed to be a DIY and BYO setup.
Still I girded my loins and slipped on to a table where the ever-helpful leecetheartist and rdmasters et al were playing Something To Do With Trains (But Not Ticket To Ride) and they very kindly explained the rules and strategy without forcing me at gunpoint to actually put up and play something. Thanks also to the other players at the table for not casting me from their midst (with or without fireballs and +5 swords).
Also, a big thank you to the person who brought the giant flying fighter squid thingie. Awesome!
To be continued...
[ Previous | Next ]
Dealers Room
The Dealers Room was full of awesome, and I congratulate those responsible for expanding the range of stuff wot to spend money on. The temporary tattoo booth added a fun carnival air, and the lockable space made for more interesting displays unhindered by the need to pack up every day. I bought a brain cell and a lot of books. Wanted to buy a few presents too but the budget threw up its hands in horror.
Tick.
Professional Art Show
The Professional Art Show did indeed seem very professional, with the exception of the labels. Clearly I am not of the target magnifying-glass-carrying munchkin demographic. Eric Ripper did a pleasantly surprising job of the launch, although it's a shame he had to compete against so much noise.
As a matter of taste only I found the collection a little bland. I'm surprised by my reaction, for the artists merely worked consistently to the theme, and normally I'd revel in that. It was all consistently good, too, so why should I feel uncomfortable about that? It makes no sense at all. I adored quite a few of the pieces on an individual basis (moonvoice you rock like a rocking thing).
See below.
Fan Art Show
Over the years I've participated in the FAS as an entrant, won a few prizes (although not for some time), run it once, babysat it a few times, spruiked "See the Art! Bid for the Art! Vote for the Art!" more than a few times, and observed with interest the development of certain people's work over the course of many years. That Shaun Tan guy might go somewhere I reckon.
It's a tough, labour-intensive thing to run, but I never realised how much I loved it until this year. Everyone involved is to be congratulated for their efforts and dedication.
Someone had the idea to put the FAS in the Dealer's room. There are a lot of reasons to like this concept. Off the top of my head I can list the following:
* The artwork can stay up the full length of the con.
* You don't need to find someone to babysit the show every moment it's open.
* Con-goers didn't need to locate a separate room to find the art show.
* Good chance of more eyeballs than usual.
* The art show didn't take up programming floorspace.
* No need for a fast labour-intensive takedown mid-con to make room for programming.
* Extra atmosphere/shiny things for the dealers room itself.
* Almost unlimited wall space, with a greater allowance for late entries.
I'd buy that for a dollar.
In practice, however, things didn't go so well. I walked right past the art show more than once on my way into the dealers room and never knew it was there. It was variously dark, tucked away, and in a few cases just a bit too well integrated with the rest of the room. Entries seemed down, and although there were some highlights, it's clear that the professional show skimmed the cream from the usual heady mix of subjects and standards. In hindsight it's that very heady mix I found missing from the professional show, and it's that which I have belatedly discovered I love.
There were very few bids I hear. There are a lot of reasons that might happen. I wonder if voting numbers were down. I voted, but then I knew voting happened and was going to happen when I stumbled across the ballot box. Without a receptionist, it wasn't really clear to newcomers how the whole thing was supposed to work.
I missed the community spirit of the usual fan art show, the inclusiveness, the individuality, and I never really appreciated it until now. Frankly, this is a shock to my system; I like shiny, organised things, but it would appear there is still a place in my heart for romance.
Gaming Space
The gamers seemed to get the short end of the stick this year, being placed in a non-lockable thoroughfare that was cleared at the insultingly early hour of midnight every night. Granted this did make it easier for the non-gamers to have a squiz at the tables, but the price for the gamers themselves was high. I saw no signs of gaming co-ordination; it seemed to be a DIY and BYO setup.
Still I girded my loins and slipped on to a table where the ever-helpful leecetheartist and rdmasters et al were playing Something To Do With Trains (But Not Ticket To Ride) and they very kindly explained the rules and strategy without forcing me at gunpoint to actually put up and play something. Thanks also to the other players at the table for not casting me from their midst (with or without fireballs and +5 swords).
Also, a big thank you to the person who brought the giant flying fighter squid thingie. Awesome!
To be continued...