!!The 6th Ever!!
Hot One Inch Action
Saturday Nov 7, 2009
W2 Perel Gallery, 112 W Hastings
One inch button trading starts at 8pm
For one night only! Back by popular demand! On Saturday Nov 7, 2009 at 8pm, W2 Community Media Arts Society hosts Hot One Inch Action at the W2 Perel Gallery, 112 West Hastings in Vancouver. For the sixth time ever, we bring together 50 artists, 50 buttons, and some hot button trading action with Vancouver's hottest art audience.
Sorry, we are no longer accepting submissions for 2009.
Conceived by Jim Hoehnle and Chris Bentzen in 2004, Hot One Inch Action is the original, one-night only show
of art, music and social interaction. The original work of fifty different artists is presented on one inch buttons.
These one inch buttons are displayed on the gallery wall and the audience
is offered the opportunity to buy randomly selected buttons in bags of five.
If the bag purchased does not have the desired button, you are invited to
trade with the people around you. How bad do you want that button?
Join our Facebook event page
Read the posts about Hot One Inch Action on The Jealous Curator, Artistrun and Vancouver Is Awesome.
Hot One Inch Action and This Is Plan B were at Creativemix, Thursday October 22, 2009 for some button making action in preparation for the show. We helped people make their own one-of-a-kind buttons.
On Saturday May 24, 2008, Gallery Gachet hosted the 5th and final Hot One Inch Action. We brought together 50 artists, 50 buttons, DJs Solid Robot Brains and The Soft Infiltrator, some hot button trading action and Vancouver's hottest art audience. With over 130 submissions, it was really tough to get it down to the 50 included in the show. The gallery also showed the artwork for all 5 years from May 25-June 1. And there was a new addition to the fun in 2008: the raffle! We raffled off 250 buttons (all 5 years worth of buttons) presented beautifully on a jean jacket. Special thanks to all those that entered the draw. Who knew it would be so popular.
Special thanks to 1 Hour Cards for coming in on the long weekend when you were supposed to be closed to print the artwork for the show. Support them, they're great. Also, thanks to Momentum Magazine for our flyer printing. And thanks to our volunteers and everyone that submitted artwork.
Check out the story about us on Beyond Robson and hope you caught us on Much Music's Going Coastal – we were the backdrop to an episode!
Gallery Gachet hosted Hot One Inch Action 2007 from April 25-27, 2007 with regular gallery hours to view all the beautiful artwork from 2004-2006. On Saturday April 28, the gallery closed for the day while we put up 2007's artwork. At 8pm the main event started and the gallery was at capacity within the hour. Music from DJ Bad and another local DJ provided the soundtrack for all the button trading fun. We sold out all of our buttons by 10pm and people continued trading until midnight.
The 2006 show at Gallery Gachet was a huge success. The crowds started to arrive before we opened the doors and just kept coming. We produced enough buttons to satisfy everyone and even had a few left over. Vancouver band Trike played a set and then DJ Robin Bank$ hit the decks and rocked the house until we told him to stop (otherwise he would have gone all night).
Watch a video from the 2006 show here
or here (YouTube)
or here
(Google Video). Thanks Malcolm!
We thought the show was great but don’t just take our word for it. Here’s
what some of the presenting artists said:
Bobbi Bjornholt:
”That was another great show this year. It was a fun night with lotsa'
good looking buttons! I watched a girl actually petting my button on the wall...
a little flattering I guess... a little freaky, but it made me laugh.”
Kate Zisman:
”Thanks for an awesome night. I can't think of any other art function
that is as social, fun, and unpretentious. I’m already excited for next
year.”
Melinda Wells:
”I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The vibe was great and you couldn't
help but feel the buzz. It was great to be in a place where you can walk up
to complete strangers and just start talking without fear of them thinking
you're crazy.”
Previous shows have gone equally as well; our May 7, 2005 show at the hot
Butchershop Floor Gallery
was also a huge success. The gallery was at capacity 30 minutes after opening
the doors and we sold out halfway through the night! Hundreds of people, the
room too full to move at one point, passed through the show. It was a great
mix of hipsters, artists, musicians, curators, gallery owners and, those indispensable
artist supporters, the friends and family. Special thanks to musical guests
Girl Nobody who provided
us with a great soundtrack to trade buttons. It was hot! Check out some pictures
here.
In 2004, Hot One Inch Action was held at the intimate Union
Gallery. Everyone jumped into the One Inch Action and the buttons sold out
early. The Doers were on
hand to entertain the emptyhanded and as the night came to a close, it was
all smiles.
From May 13-17, 2005, there was a retrospective look at Hot One Inch
Action at The Whip Gallery Restaurant. The button art from the 2004
and 2005 Hot One Inch Action were on display. No button trading
but still a great look at the artwork from 2 years of the show.
See the video on CBC's Zed for Hot One Inch Action 2005.
See the feature on the 2004 show from ICTV's "Eastside Story"
that aired on Shaw Cable and on Zed.
Hot One Inch Action has inspired another one-night button
trading event in Toronto: One
Inch Punch.
Sorry, buttons from the 2004 and 2005 shows are sold out! There are a few
random bags of buttons from the 2006 show still available. Contact
us for details.
For information on ordering custom one inch buttons, go to thisisplanb.net
for pricing and details.
Hot One Inch Action is the original, annual show of one inch buttons presented, produced and curated by Chris Bentzen and Jim Hoehnle.
