Press Release: Big, Beautiful and a Little Scary at McLeod Residence

What do squids and China have in common? They are both big, beautiful, and maybe a little scary. What is the plural of squid? You may use either squid or squids. What's this got to do with McLeod Residence? Well, keep reading to find out about our awesome December exhibits.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Maggie Santolla McLeod, Press Relations
maggie.santolla@gmail.com

Lele McLeod, Gallery
leleblixa@gmail.com
206-441-3314

Big, Beautiful and a Little Scary
New exhibits bring a distant creature and country to McLeod Residence

Seattle, WA,--November 8, 2007-- The mysterious and elusive giant squid resides in the deepest water of the ocean and is usually not seen by humans, but a few will make a rare appearance at McLeod Residence this December thanks to New York artist Cassandra Nguyen. Giant Squid will open with a reception on December 7, 2007, from 6-9 pm, and runs through December 29.

Cassandra's squid are actually stuffed animals, created in a variety of fabrics including ultrasuede, velvet, brocade, felt and toile. The three at McLeod Residence will each be about 20 feet long, the size of an adolescent giant squid. Cassandra became interested in giant squid after seeing a documentary on the cephalopods. The idea of being the largest creature on earth and yet never seen fascinated her. When she couldn't find anyone selling a stuffed squid, she decided to make her own and eventually refined a pattern that includes a secret pocket. Eventually she plans to make one that is 60 feet long, the size of a full grown giant squid.

Her squid are available for adoption at McLeod Residence during the month and a portion of the proceeds from each adoption goes to charity. Cassandra was recently featured in Giant Robot magazine and is also showing her squid at the Royal/T gallery and cafe in Los Angeles during November.

McLeod Residence's Giant Squid coincides with the Burke Museum's exhibit, In Search of Giant Squid, which is on view until December 31.

Also showing this month is Glimpses from China, a series of photographs by Sami Khoury. Sami lived and worked in China for six months this year and documented his journey in these vivid images from a country undergoing a rapid transformation.

Sami Khoury has been practicing the visual arts since 1994 when he worked with the Berkeley Contemporary Opera as a digital artist on its production of William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer and formally studied photography while completing his degree in computer science at the University of California at Berkeley at the end of 1997. His work has appeared in The Stranger, Seattle Weekly, Minty Magazine, Aphid Magazine, America Online City Guides, online magazines around the world, and in promotional materials for art galleries, restaurants, and bars all around Seattle, Washington.

The Lounge features McLeod Residence's ongoing installation of neon work by Jeremy Bert and Jen Elek and furniture by Gary Andolina. The Water Closets will continue to house the Barbarian Group's McLeod Mirror Series 1: See Yourself In Others. Maggie Orth's Petal Pushers and the Barbarian Group's Biomimetic Butterflies will continue to be shown in the McLeod Room and, at accessible price points, make excellent holiday gifts for beginning art collectors.

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McLeod Residence, located at 2209 Second Avenue in Seattle, Washington, is a home for extraordinary living through art, technology and collaboration. Proprietors Buster McLeod and Lele McLeod founded McLeod Residence in 2006. McLeod Residence is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm. For more information, contact McLeod Residence at 206-441-3314 or visit www.mcleodresidence.com.