Scene & Herd - In the future: There will be

Last Saturday afternoon, I started my so-called workday by visiting the Holiday Inn in downtown Decatur. Was I there padding my journalism income by working as a hotel bar prostitute? Good guess, but no. Actually, I was there for the Atlanta Stereographic Association’s second Georgia 3-D Fest.

Consistently ranked among the top three spatial dimensions in Discover magazine’s prestigious annual critics’ polls, the third dimension is that scary one that makes it look like stuff is coming directly at you. The ASA gang’s interest in the third dimension is very specific. They create, collect and look at stereographic images, mostly photographs.

Stereography is the art of creating a three-dimensional image by placing two nearly identical 2-D images side-by-side and fooling your brain into seeing it as a single 3-D image. If you’ve ever looked through a Viewmaster, you’ve experienced stereography. Hell, if you have two working eyes, you’re experiencing stereography right now (my apologies to CL’s pirate readers).

The fest took place in two large rooms. In one room, stereophiles presented 3-D slide shows (3-D glasses were provided). Among the highlights were stereogram photos of the Cotton States Exposition held in Piedmont Park in 1895. I quite enjoyed the landscape stereo photography of Bert Arps. Staring at the projection screen during his show was like standing in the Ohio wheat fields he so beautifully photographed.

In the room next door, vendors and exhibitors shared their smaller-scale work. Stereographic historian John Waldsmith had boxes of 19th-century stereo photographs alphabetized by subject. “Blacks” was followed by “Boer War,” “Connecticut by Cowboys,” and “Holy Land,” unfortunately but appropriately, by “Hunting.” Flipping through his collection was so much more than looking at old pictures. Because they were crystal-clear 3-D images, it was more like looking through a window and seeing back in time. The most amazing shots, to me, were below-deck shots of Russian sailors during the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. They’re not something I’d ever imagined I’d see.

Not all of the images at the show were historical. Through a $650 metal Viewmaster, fest-goers could gaze at contemporary 3-D images of architectural masterpieces like Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Fallingwater,” or Hans Scharoun’s grand Berlin buildings. And speaking of seamen, another display at the show was a collection of 3-D porn photos. They were pretty hardcore, but thankfully, none of the shots I saw included any attempts at staging a 3-D “money” shot.

I said shotgun: On Sunday, I cemented my budding friendship with Reid (known to devoted S&H readers as Peanut the accordion-playing elf) by going skeet and trap shooting with him at the Fulton County Department of Parks & Recreation’s Tom Lowe Shooting Grounds.The grounds are just off Camp Creek Parkway, not far from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. A shooting range near the airport may seem like a bad idea, but fear not. Shotgun shots don’t travel far at all. It’s the nearby Clayton County Department of Recreation Shoulder-Launched Anti-Aircraft Missile Range and Natatorium that you should really be worried about.

With our rented Beretta 12-gauges in hand, we started at the trap range. Trap shooting works this way: You say, “pull,” and a range attendant pushes a button that makes a clay pigeon fly out of a box. A “round” of trap consists of shooting at 25 clay pigeons from five positions.

After three rounds, we got antsy, so we went over to the 5-stand range. Like golf, 5-stand is easy to do, but difficult to do well. From five positions, you shoot at 25 clay pigeons that fly out from 10 different positions, some two at a time. It’s challenging, but even if you suck at it, it’s fun. I should know.

After the 5-stand, we did some skeet shooting. Unlike the other two ranges, the skeet range was operated by a sassy woman who poked fun at shooters for their bad form. If the range was Mel’s Diner, then skeet shooting was like sitting in Flo’s section. In between reminding us to “Lean forward!” “Don’t you swing that shotgun this way!” and “Don’t act dumb!” she also reminded us over and over that she was much better at skeet than we are. I’m so going back.

Going Underground: On Saturday night, I hopped in my car and drove to the Future.No, silly, not that future. My car doesn’t have a flux-capacitor. I’m talking about the Future at Underground Atlanta. Successor to the defunct Chamber, Future hosted a Valentine’s Day/Chinese New Year party put on by Secret Room.

The nondrinking/dancing centerpiece of the party was a beautifully lit, costumed and choreographed stage performance that was part Chinese New Year’s street parade, part medieval Chinese battle, part fetish show. It started with two armored Chinese warriors sword fighting (stop those dirty thoughts). They were joined by a dancing dragon that opened up to reveal two sexy submissive women. Then there was an authentic dragon dance performed by two students of Chien Hong School of Kung Fu (full disclosure: I studied there in 1999). The whole show probably lasted 10 minutes, but it made the whole trip worth it. It, of course, helps that it’s a nice club.

Love on a flatbed: Last Friday night, the Atlanta Photography Group held its annual Push-Pin Photography show at its Tula Arts Center gallery.”Pictures of push-pins? That sounds dull.”

Let me finish. Attendees were asked to bring unframed, unmatted photos to mount to the wall and offer for sale. There were lots of pictures of Ice Storm 2005, an assortment of nakeds, three spectacular prints by Michael West (that man’s printing skills are unreal), and, if you looked carefully, a photo that my girlfriend and I made 20 minutes before leaving the house that night. We made it by holding our faces up to my flatbed scanner and shaking it while it scanned. Like Xeroxing your butt, only more fun! I don’t think anyone bought it, even though we priced it at only 30 Euros.

andisheh@creativeloafing.comFor more of Andisheh’s adventures, visit Scene & Herd at atlanta.creativeloafing.com.??