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What If...

Each ingredient in Into The Deep references a different aspect and state of dreams. The work takes its inspiration from Winsor McCay's Little Nemo In Slumberland. In this early pre-Surrealist comic strip, the lead character explores the infinite world of dreams. At the end of each strip, Nemo awakes to chastisement from a parent, most commonly for having indulged in some treat before bed. Into The Deep reveals a personal prophecy to each diner who dives into it. An accompanying guide at each table reveals the individual ingredients' dream aspect. Perhaps the diner will also discover their own meanings through interpretation of the dreams arising after eating Into The Deep. Randolph and Armando created the roll together, developing a divination system and crafting flavors familiar, yet strange.

The Distance Between Us

Randolph Carter:

Introduction:
I first met, and began collaborating on noise music and zines and art with, Randolph in 01991, in Chicago. He was fresh to the city from outside Boston, and I was fresh there from Seattle. We were both styaing in a flop house with a few bags of possessions. We bonded over the occult, in particular the sounds that pierce the veil of time to be heard incongruously from the past and future in our now. We both read way too many physics books we struggled to comprhend. We collaborated for many years, with a third friend, until personal differences led to a drifting apart. We always stayed in touch in one way or another, and when I moved to Eugene, Randolph was the sole soul I knew in town. He had arrived here from Portland a couple years earlier. It would be a lie to say we are friends, but we do respect each other's work immensely.

Bio:
Randolph Carter was born near Boston, MA. He traces his lineage back to Salem, and he credits this line of the family for his creative bent. Much of Carter's work engages with the idea of time, in particular, the limited field of time that human senses can perceive. His art, music, and writing question whether linear temporal perception functions as a beneficial or harmful evolutionary development. Carter is a longtime devotee of the philosopher/guru N. Senada.

Sushi Ya:

Introduction:
I really like Sushi Ya. I really like the sushi. I really super extra like it for all of the amazing staff. I will list them all here eventually, I promise. Trust me, though, the owners are always around, and always attentive and nice. The sushi chefs are awesome and friendly. The servers have totally put up with me pestering them about participating in this project for months. They should name a role named "Patience."

Bio:
The sushi chef who collaborated with Randolph is Armando ?????. Armando started at Sushi Ya in 2013 in the back kitchen as a cook. After a few months the Master Sushi Chef and owner, DJ, asked him to train as a sushi chef. They embarked on months of intense work to prepare Armando for the restaurant's biggest day of the year, Valentine's Day. After he performed well, and spent another year as an apprentice, Armando was allowed to staff the sushi bar on his own for the first time. The following day, his mentor, DJ, arrived at work with a beautiful molybdenum Japanese sushi knife. This, he told Armando, was his diploma. You can see Armando behind the sushi counter using his diploma most days of the week. Armando describes Sushi Ya as his second home, a place he looks forward to spending time each day.