visual arts listings for the week of September 5-11
BY LISA LAMBERT
To be considered for listings, send information at least two weeks in advance to Visual Arts, WW, 822 SW 10th Ave., Portland, OR 97205. Fax: 243-1115.

GUARDINO
For Antiquated Instruments for a Modern Universe, Sumi Wu used a 19th-century aesthetic to create tools that scientists might need for exploring the physical realities of space-time theories. Basically, Wu wanted to form technological objects that looked like something dreamed up by H.G. Wells. Many of her assemblages, with their imaginative flourishes and colorful details, look more like they were stolen from Dr. Seuss's sculpture garden. Take, for example, the striped socks designed to wear while traversing a black hole. The footwear, knitted in purple and yellow, stretches from ceiling to ground, because a black hole would flatten and elongate anyone in it. Wu has constructed the pieces by hand, using glass, copper and yarn. Her test-tube set includes glass jars in knitted socks, and her hourglasses for the beginning and end of time are small glass baubles placed in a variety of situations. Probably the most eloquent piece in the collection is Tool for Gathering Night Air, in which copper wires wrap around themselves, forming a handle topped by a scrubberlike head full of glass pieces. Here we have whimsy, poetry and depth. With this exhibition, we are given a chance to frolic in humanity's latest wonderland (without Star Trek Voyager's ugly costumes). 2939 NE Alberta St., 281-9048. Closes Sept. 25.