Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week

Category: costuming

October 30, 2014

Johnny Depp’s wolf and San FURancisco pics. Furry Newsdump (10-30-14)

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s links, headlines and little bites of news to make your tail wag.  Story tips are always welcome.

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In the Media

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Cons in the news:  Anthropomorphic arts, beautiful beasts, and clever critters at Fur Reality 2014 – (From Furrymedia).  Oklacon covered as “The world’s largest outdoor furry convention“.

Johnny Depp reveals his Wolf – (tip from Higgs Raccoon):

Hi Patch:  Here’s the cover of Entertainment Weekly, showing Johnny Depp’s costume for his role of The Wolf in “Into the Woods”.  Not terribly wolf-like, especially around the face. And this being a Disney production, it looks like they decided not go with the sexual-predator look used in some of the stage productions.

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October 29, 2014

Furries & Despair photography show – “An event people are going to love and talk about”

by Patch O'Furr

The show “Furries & Despair” features Ron Lussier’s fursuiter portraits, and Bobby Pin’s photos of Detroit.  The gallery opening is Friday, November 7 in San Francisco.  The press release has gone out, announcing a fursuit crawl to meet at the gallery.  This is an excellent event to support and have fun with the public!

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Bobby Pin tells me:

40 People already got tickets to our show through Eventbrite.  23 People are coming to the show through Facebook and 32 are maybes.  I think it’s gonna be an event people are going to love and talk about for awhile 😛

More about Ron’s portraits:

Here’s a press release to share as PDF:

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October 20, 2014

Five pro photographers advancing the art of furry documentary.

by Patch O'Furr

Fursuit portraiture is getting ambitious.  It’s more than an inward-focused service just to make con-goers happy.  It’s starting to be treated as documentary art to publish and put in galleries.

These photographers often give special focus to fursuiters, a sub-section of this subculture.  Furry is about more than costumes, but it makes sense to emphasize their unique, non-replaceable fuzzy glamor.  News media puts them in front of every furry story because it answers a “show, don’t tell” challenge.

The photo subjects come with fixed expressions, designed by their makers.  Performance brings them to life.  It’s a challenge to avoid stageyness in flat images of a tactile experience.  The best photographers do it by putting something personal in the relationship – a signature approach.

Fursuit-makers don’t require outside notice to be cool.  But this work isn’t “ogling”, it’s inspired from within. It’s win-win for both sides.

Here’s five photographers earning notice for their Furry documentary art. Update: added a sixth at bottom. (This is a nonprofit blog only sharing to promote artists- send questions here.)

Ron Lussier

AeroShep

Project- “Further Confessions.”  Gallery show opens in San Francisco On November 7, 2014.

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October 20, 2014

Creators of furry fetish party “Wild Things” explain “human sized cat box”.

by Patch O'Furr

citadelLet’s be clear:  Furry is an art and fiction thing, not a sex thing.  It’s always been a sensitive topic.  In the earliest days of organized furry conventions, many felt that they were derailed by advertising in bad places.  Media exploitation and nasty “hit pieces” deepened resentments. Without forgetting this background, sex is a topic that can’t be dismissed.

Adult activity is one optional ingredient in a wide open collection of interests.  Some furries prefer clean activity only.  Some prefer adult.  Many express both interests as part of life, in the right times and places.

Such personal interests don’t represent everyone, but they have value.  Adult activities pushed limits to open new freedoms and rights.  They’ve led advances that built the internet and alternative communities.

In San Francisco, some furry fans recognized a demand for adult-friendly space.  An opportunity was caused by overflowing crowds at night life events, that don’t host adult activities. More opportunity came from an invite to join forces with a venue that does.  The Citadel is a BDSM “dungeon” club, with a supportive community of 1000+ members.  It invites other communities including leather and petplay together for this event.

These sparks grew into the first “Wild Things” party, scheduled for November 8, 2014.

Private parties happen among friends – but as far as I know, there’s never been a bold open-invite event promoted like this.  The San Francisco Bay Area has a huge population of geeks and sex-positive subculture, making it more likely to work here than anywhere else.  It’s caused attention and rumors among furries, bystanders and others.  I reached out to “Wild Things” organizer Catarina to get the real scoop.

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October 15, 2014

Biebsuits, fursuits and videos. Furry Newsdump (10-15-14)

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s links, headlines and little bites of news to make your tail wag.  Story tips are always welcome.

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Around Furry Fandom

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Fursuit auction reaches $8,025.

The “Lavender Corgi” is meant to resemble singer Justin Bieber.  At the price, the buyer could have bought a complete boy band.  Too bad they didn’t have enough to get the real singer skinned and sewn into a Biebsuit.  (For the ultimate fan!)  There’s an idea for a trashy horror comedy movie- call it “Fursploitation?”

My son is “furry”–got a problem with that?

A blogger writes a lovely piece about her son.  In the followup, she’s happy that it’s her most popular article.

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October 14, 2014

Creators of a furry fetish party dare to be “Wild Things” (NSFW content)

by Patch O'Furr

fritz-the-catWild Things:  at San Francisco’s Citadel club – November 8, 2014 (18+)

Artists and dealers are invited to show and sell your wares.
Info: (Ask me – patch.ofurr at gmail.)

I apologize in advance for humping your leg. It’s that exciting to share news about a unique, gutsy, sexy, creative, WTF happening for consenting adult friends. But first, have a soft intro.

Is furry a “sex thing?” It’s the #1 topic that furries love to hate.  Some call it a myth spread by media exploitation.  But the internet is bursting with self-generated erotica.  Reddit’s r/yiff community has more subscribers than r/furry.  The media doesn’t have enough imagination to be that dirty.

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October 8, 2014

“Further Confessions” photo project puts fursuiting in an art gallery, and does FUN right.

by Patch O'Furr

keagos / further confusion 2014

“Further Confessions” gallery opening

Canessa Gallery in San Francisco.  November 7, at 7PM – 708 Montgomery Street.

Portraiture of fursuiters can be tough to pull off with as much energy as in person.  That’s why I love promoting “Street Fursuiting,” and candid photos of it.

Fursuiting appeals when it engages viewers to interact.  It’s animated and tactile.  Staging their play can dull that down.  Less-successful efforts can look like a diorama of stuffed toys. Cartoony suit design may not blend with surroundings, turning long views into eye-straining barf.

But no matter how they’re executed, they make memories with meaning to those who were there.  If you’re furry, you get it. Art for the uninitiated is just a different purpose.

Ron Lussier’s “Further Confessions“ project overcomes the “stageyness” barrier in a compelling way.  He juxtaposes portraits with personality expressed in hand-written statements.  They reach through the frame, and greet you as personally as a hug.  This stuff does FUN right.  I have to say it’s the best fursuiter portraiture I’ve seen, and I think it’s an honor to have Furries featured this way in an art gallery.

Fursuiters are invited to the opening!

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October 3, 2014

Fox cartoons that make you tingly. Furry Newsdump (10-3-14)

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s links, headlines and little bites of news to make your tail wag.  Story tips are always welcome.

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In the Media and around Furry Fandom…

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berionWhen people become stuffed animals (Wenn Menschen zu Plüschtieren werden)

Furrymedia has the German news article.  It covers Eurofurence, gives a very nice description of what Furries are – and interviews some really cute ones.

Furries! Hack takes you inside the furry community…

“… to find out why people love dressing up as furry animals. Is it a sex thing? A creative outlet? Or, just a way to belong?”  This radio/podcast for young Australians covers their con, FurJam.

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September 22, 2014

Controversy and success: San Francisco’s Frolic party – interview with Neonbunny part 4

by Patch O'Furr

02Interview series:  Artists, animation directors, DJ’s and event organizers, superfans, and more…
Neonbunny is founding DJ and promoter of Frolic. The 90 minute interview has 4 parts, with one a week posting this month.

4) Controversy and success – Music, DIY culture, Furry events, sex, drama, and more.

 

For many furries in the world, the San Francisco Bay Area is the place to be. For many in the Bay, Frolic is THE most furry place. It isn’t the only center, but it’s an influential one. It’s not just the best Furry party… I’d call it the best party San Francisco has, period.  Check out Frolic’s website, and read about it in The Bold Italic magazine.

Neonbunny, founding DJ and promoter of Frolic, met me for a long interview over dinner. His partner Jody who handles tech, lighting and animation was with us.  It was a year ago, just after they got back from 2013’s Burning Man event in Nevada.  Neon’s early trips to Burning Man led to discovering Furries in the early 2000’s, and making friends to help throw parties.  It turned into a scene connected to local counterculture.  Since Frolic started in 2010, it’s had nice success.  We talked about the wide roles of such events and their makers:

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lobo-neon

(Patch:) I thought DJing would come before promoting shows, but it’s the other way around for you.

(Neon:)  I’ve always been musically inclined, just like I was inclined to wear animal costumes. When I was a kid, for Halloween, it was always a cat costume. My parents got me keyboard lessons. I was in a high school band, played drums, messed around with a punk band with some friends, and always into new music.

I pay attention to lot of electronic music, and gothic kind of stuff.  I hang out on a forum that has people who are almost legendary. It’s like, “I was listening to your album when I was a kid.”   This week I saw Gary Numan and met the guy from Cold Cave.  Some is going strong since then, some is having kind of a renaissance. 

I was into a lot of that in high school.  I was always into punk rock as a kid. Electronic music has some of the same aspects, it’s about self publishing – there’s a DIY aspect.  You don’t need a record label – it’s people publishing their friends.

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September 17, 2014

Facebook’s “real name” controversy, Drag queens, and furries

by Patch O'Furr

hug-in-303

Facebook closed my account. There’s a wave of furry victims of this ill-planned policy. Did it happen to you too?

Behind the fursona, there’s deeper issues, like the way internet trolls enjoy gay-bashing and compromising safety for participants of certain live club events. These names are positive statements. Forcing you not to use yours is a negative statement.

When I organized a “hug-in” coinciding with a protest threat from Westboro Baptist Church (of “God Hates Fags” infamy), it was meant to be a positive thing of it’s own… but also to answer them with positivity.  (They didn’t show- all we did was hug.)  Facebook’s policy jeopardizes people’s safety to speak that way.

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