Surreal World
Chris Sandon's dark vision
by Laura J. Williams

Chris Sandon’s surreal visions capture everything from innocently twisted children to intricate and disturbing “contraptions” (like “Evolutionary Thinker,” right.) He paints, draws and photographs, but regardless of medium, his work shares an unsettling not-quite-so-naive mood, like is “Chastity and the Bluebird,” on the cover of this issue. He also shoots photographs of dolls dressed in big fur coats, wandering the woods; one “Neanderdoll” won an award in the Metro Times’ photo contest.

Ann Arbor Paper: What’s the first piece of art you remember making?
Chris Sandon: When I was probably 8 or so, I started drawing the characters on cereal boxes at breakfast. The Lucky Charms guy was a favorite. I’m not sure that it was art but it was some of my first attempts at drawing. From there, I started creating my own characters. At first, I was more interested in drawing comics than making some piece of fine art.

A2P: Your work is varied - why work in so many different styles and media?
CS: I get bored working with one idea or in one style. Some artists work their whole
careers in one style or around one idea. I couldn’t imagine doing that. I try and fit my work into loose categories that are always growing and changing.

A2P: What artists, from any period, do you admire most?
CS: Of coarse, the Masters. Other than them, I think the most interesting art always has a surreal, emotional, and/or mystical element. Anything with lots of imagination.

A2P: Who’s the baby boy in your work?
CS: Most are my nephew, Trent. Squid-boy is based on my friend’s son, Ashton. He is a squid.

A2P: How did the Neanderdolls evolve?
CS: I made my first one in a class, probably six years ago. It really freaked the professor out. Since then, they’ve grown into a collection of about 10 dolls. I started photographing them a couple years ago. They’re much easier to photograph than real kids. Some people see the photos though, and think the dolls are real kids. I’m working on making a short film documenting the dolls hunting stuffed animals and skinning them. I like that the question was phrased using ‘evolve.’

A2P: What’s with the contraptions?
CS: They are a recent series that are sort of about the mechanical-ness of emotion in different situations. If that makes any sense.

A2P: If your work had a soundtrack, who would it be written by?
CS: The Flaming Lips mixed with Bjork?

A2P: Do you have a muse?
CS: Kids, I guess. They are so honest yet weird too.

A2P: What are you working on now?
CS: I’ve been trying to combine my characters into this sort of narrative setting as a possible storybook of images or a videogame maybe. There’s a bunch of other smaller things in the works too. Like I’ve said, I get bored if I just work on one thing at a time. A2P

Chris Sandon’s work will appear in a group show at The Dreamland Theater on January 8, along with Nicole Parker, Trevor Stone, Jason Starin, Tokyo Alice, Naia Venturi, Dan Gay, Laurel Beaudet, Rich Rice, Connie McKinney, Joe Bauer and others. Music from DJ Andrew Thomas, Bubblegone vs. Verzerren, MAJUTSU!, and Giant Dancing Killer Bears. Other special guests include the musical contraptions of Frank Pahl and the T-shirts of Jeff Karolski. 44 E. Cross St., Depot Town, Ypsi.

Sandon will also be part of a group show at the new gallery Natural Canvass on Saturday, January 15. 613 N. Main, Ann Arbor

COLUMNS
Deep Background iPod and the legacy of the geeks
Girl on Love They really, really like me
My Life in Ypsi
Quidnunc Gossip
Sexophile Manual Stimulation

INTERVIEW
Chris Sandon artist and surreal visionary

MUSIC - Interviews
Clocked In - The All Night Push

MUSIC - Reviews
Lusine - Serial Hodgepodge

MOVIES
Cinebitch
Review - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Watch Me Now Rambo First Blood Part II

PLUS:
PublicEye You Belong to the City. You Belong to the Night
A2 Astrology