Item#: 9189
Level2
Containment Class:
safe
Secondary Class:
{$secondary-class}
Disruption Class:
dark
Risk Class:
caution
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-9189 is contained within a purpose-built reinforced containment cell at Site-█. The cell is constructed of semi-flexible composite materials and should be subject to weekly structural assessment as part of monitoring SCP-9189's continuous lateral expansion. Standard large-animal husbandry protocols are in effect. SCP-9189 is to be provided with the standard nutrition of a member of its species, along with veterinary care on a scheduled basis. SCP-9189 should under no circumstances be exposed to the outdoors.
Description: SCP-9189 is a cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) whose body extends horizontally at a consistent rate. SCP-9189 is wider than its containment cell at all times. Despite this, SCP-9189 is fully contained within the cell. The mechanism by which this occurs is not currently understood. Investigation is ongoing.
SCP-9189's anomalous width and expansion do not affect its typical biological functions. All of its internal biological processes operate within standard parameters for a specimen of its type. SCP-9189 exhibits no anomalous behavior and does not display awareness of its anomalous properties. SCP-9189 does not present a threat to personnel.
Since its acquisition in 2011, SCP-9189 has expanded to an estimated width of ██,███ kilometers. SCP-9189's lateral expansion occurs at approximately █ kilometers per hour. The rate of expansion has not increased during this period. No upper limit to the width of SCP-9189 has been established.
SCP-9189 was created by anartists via previously unknown thaumaturgical means and recovered from a warehouse in Portland, Oregon, by members of Mobile Task Force Upsilon-23 ("Art Critics"). The existence of SCP-9189 was discovered by a Foundation webcrawler upon the flagging of several emails sent to various institutions asking for permission for an art display.
Addendum 9189.1: Email Log
- Addendum 9189.1: Email Log
To: vog.cerdnaskrapdnaltrop|stimrep#vog.cerdnaskrapdnaltrop|stimrep
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
Subject: Outdoor Display Permit Inquiry: Large Scale Art Installation
Hello,
My name is Olivia Suh. I am an artist based in Portland, Oregon. My colleague Alyx Reitzen and I are looking to obtain an outdoor display permit for a large scale art installation we have been developing over the past several months.
The installation is a living animal, specifically a Cinnamon Bear, who is quite large. She is in excellent health and does not present a threat to the public. She is also unusually large which we think the public will enjoy. We are wondering if you had a suitable outdoor location to display the piece and would like to understand what permits we would need to do so.
Could you point us toward the correct application process?
Thanks,
Olivia Suh
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
From: vog.cerdnaskrapdnaltrop|stimrep#vog.cerdnaskrapdnaltrop|stimrep
Subject: Re: Outdoor Display Permit Inquiry: Large Scale Art Installation
Dear Ms. Suh,
Thank you for reaching out. Permits for living animal displays fall outside the scope of our office. Please contact the Portland Department of Animal Services at vog.dnaltrop|secivreslamina#vog.dnaltrop|secivreslamina for guidance on public animal exhibition permits.
For general outdoor installation permits, you can find all information on our website.
Best,
Portland Parks and Recreation Permits Office
To: vog.dnaltrop|secivreslamina#vog.dnaltrop|secivreslamina
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
Subject: Public Animal Exhibition Permit: Art Installation
Hi,
We were redirected to you by the Parks and Recreation office. We are looking to display a bear publicly as part of an art installation. She is healthy and calm and has all of her veterinary documentation in order.
The installation is quite wide (approximately 3,500 feet), we want to mention this upfront as it may affect the permit category.
Please let us know what you need from us.
Thanks,
Olivia Suh
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
From: vog.dnaltrop|secivreslamina#vog.dnaltrop|secivreslamina
Subject: Re: Public Animal Exhibition Permit: Art Installation
Dear Ms. Suh,
Thank you for your message. Unfortunately at this time we are unable to process requests for any displays.
We wish you well.
Portland Department of Animal Services
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
Subject: you are scaring them with the size
liv
i told you not to tell them the measurements yet. what happened to installation size upon request???
-alyx
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
Subject: Re: you are scaring them with the size
They were going to find out one way or another. They need it for the permit anyways.
Olivia
To: moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid#moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
Subject: Anomalous Public Display Permit: Stretched Creature Project
Dear Three Portlands Civic Display Office,
My name is Alyx Reitzen. I am an anartist currently based in Portland, Oregon. My colleague Olivia Suh and I have spent the past several months developing a large scale living installation as part of an ongoing body of work under the name the Stretched Creature Project.
Our installation is a cinnamon bear whose body has extended laterally through a thaumaturgic process of our own development. She is currently approximately 2 miles in width and continues to expand at a slow and consistent rate. While we recognize this presents spatial considerations that fall outside of conventional permitting frameworks, we are writing to you directly in the hope of special consideration. We have attached full technical documentation of the thaumaturgic process along with an artists statement.
The bear is named Misha, she is a meditation on the nature of infinity as experienced through a living thing. We believe it belongs somewhere it can be seen.
We would be very grateful for your guidance on the appropriate path forward.
Warm regards,
Alyx Reitzen (they/them)
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
From: moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid#moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid
Subject: Re: Anomalous Public Display Permit: Stretched Creature Project
Thank you for your application. Your request has been received and is currently under review. Due to the spatial nature of the anomaly described, your application has been forwarded to the Three Portlands Subcommittee for Anomalous Public Works, who will assess whether the installation falls within our jurisdiction.
Please note that all applications are to be under review via the Three Portlands Anomalous Public Safety Code. Please allow 8-10 weeks for a response.
Three Portlands Civic Display Office
To: moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid#moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
Subject: Re: Re: Anomalous Public Display Permit: Stretched Creature Project
Dear Three Portlands Civic Display Office,
It has been eleven weeks. We have not received any communication from the Subcommittee for Anomalous Public Works or from your office beyond the initial acknowledgement.
Can you please confirm that our application is still being reviewed.
Alyx Reitzen (they/them)
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
From: moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid#moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Anomalous Public Display Permit: Stretched Creature Project
Your application remains under review. The Subcommittee meets quarterly. You will be contacted in due course.
Three Portlands Civic Display Office
To: ude.egellocreed|stracilbup#ude.egellocreed|stracilbup
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
Subject: Exhibition Inquiry: Stretched Creature Project
Dear Deer College Public Arts Office,
My name is Alyx Reitzen. My colleague Olivia Suh and I are anartists currently seeking a venue and permit pathway for a large scale living installation. It is a cinnamon bear whose body has been extended laterally through thaumaturgic means to a width that currently exceeds any standard display space we have been able to identify.
We have been working on this piece for the better part of a year. We have been redirected by the City of Portland, are waiting on a response from the Three Portlands Civic Display Office that has now been outstanding for eleven weeks, and are running out of options. We are writing to Deer College because we believe this piece deserves to be seen and you have an outstanding reputation in protecting the arts.
I have attached the artist's statement. I think if you take the time to read it you will understand what we are trying to do.
Alyx Reitzen (they/them)
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
From: ude.egellocreed|stracilbup#ude.egellocreed|stracilbup
Subject: Re: Exhibition Inquiry: Stretched Creature Project
Dear Alyx,
We read your statement. Passed it around the department actually, even catching the attention of some colleagues, which we took as a good sign.
The piece you made is a truly wonderful piece of art that we would love to host. The two of you should be very proud of what you have made. You have made something truly beautiful. And you did it, with a bear. We mean that as the highest possible compliment.
Unfortunately Deer College is not in a position to issue public display permits for installations whose lateral dimensions exceed the navigable boundaries of our campus grounds. We have consulted with our spatial anomalies faculty and they have confirmed that the bear's current width presents logistical issues and challenges that fall outside of our capacity to accommodate.
Please keep making work. It is wonderful to see minds like yours go about the world.
With appreciation,
Alice Harrington
Deer College Public Arts Office
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
From: moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid#moc.secivrescivicsdnaltrop3|yalpsid
Subject: Verdict from the Subcommittee for Anomalous Public Works
Dear Mx. Reitzen,
After careful consideration the Subcommittee for Anomalous Public Works has determined that a display permit could not be issued for your installation. If you wish to appeal please allow 8-10 weeks for response.
We wish you well with your project.
Three Portlands Civic Display Office
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
Subject: i am out of ideas
liv
we arent getting anywhere with this. idk what to do. deer college said she was beautiful and still said no. three portlands just sent the denial with no reason after five months of pulling me along. i sent so many emails. i tried everything i could think of.
i dont know what else to change.
-alyx
To: moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier#moc.erutaercdehcterts|a.neztier
From: moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus#moc.erutaercdehcterts|o.hus
Subject: Re: i am out of ideas
We will just open the studio then. I'll make a sign for the door.
Olivia
Addendum 9189.2: Exploration Log
Exploration Video Log Transcript
Date: 22/11/2011
Exploration Team: Mobile Task Force Upsilon-23 ("Art Critics")
Subject: Spatial anomaly report, Portland, Oregon
Team Lead: Captain R. Park
Team Members: Agent D. Osei, Agent L. Eliezer
[BEGIN LOG]
Footage opens on the exterior of a warehouse near the docks. A hand-painted sign on the door above reads "STRETCHED CREATURE PROJECT - OPEN STUDIO".
Park: Upsilon-23 entering the premises. No hostiles observed.
The team enters. The interior is a single large open space. Art supplies are visible along the walls on shelves. There is a large corkboard with paint swatches, fabric, and photographs of various animals. At the far end of the room, a bear is visible. Two individuals, one at either end of the bear, are pulling on it. The bear is wider than the room.
Osei: I'm sorry. What.
Park: Document everything.
Eliezer: Park. It's wider than the room.
Park: I can see that.
Eliezer: It's wider than the building.
Park: Eliezer.
Eliezer: I'm just noting it for the record.
The team approaches the two individuals. Both are wearing matching printed shirts. The shirts read "STRETCHED CREATURE PROJECT" in large multicolor block letters. The lettering extends beyond the edge of the fabric on both sides.
Park: Step away from the bear.
Anartist 1 [later identified as Alyx Reitzen]: Someone official, finally. We've been trying to get in touch with someone about permits for like two or three weeks.
Park: Permits.
Anartist 1: For the installation. We just have the bear for now, but we need outdoor display permission, and the city keeps stonewalling our emails.
Anartist 2 [later identified as Olivia Suh]: We think it might be because of the width situation.
Anartist 1: She's really a meditation on the impression of infinity as experienced through the encounter with a concrete object that-
Park: Step away from the bear, please.
Anartist 2: Can we just finish pulling? We're kind of mid-session, and if we stop now, we lose all of our progress.
Park: Now please.
The anartists step back. SCP-9189 does not react.
Park: Upsilon-23, spatial anomaly secured. Large animal, no hostile behavior. Requestion transport and a containment team. Secure the premises.
Agents Eliezer and Osei begin to secure the warehouse. Art materials, equipment, along with relevant documentation are retrieved and catalogued. SCP-9189 does not react to this process. The anartists are escorted from the premises into separate Foundation vehicles. SCP-9189 is transported to Site-█ for containment. SCP-9189 does not resist transport.
[END LOG]
Addendum 9189.3: Post-Recovery Interview
Interviewed: Alyx Reitzen and Olivia Suh
Interviewer: Dr. H. Moshenko
Dr. Moshenko enters the interview room. The two subjects are already seated. Reitzen has a copy of the artist's statement along with photographs from the warehouse in a Manila folder on the table in front of them. Suh is looking at the door.
Interviewer: Thank you for your patience. I'm Dr. Moshenko. I'll be asking you some questions about SCP-9189.
Reitzen: Misha.
Interviewer: I'm sorry?
Reitzen: Misha. The bear. Her name is Misha.
Interviewer: Noted. Can you describe how the anomaly was created?
Suh: We stretched her.
Interviewer: Can you elaborate on that?
Reitzen: We really just got the ball rolling, kept it going faster and faster. It evened out around month two. She's been going on her own since then. She doesn't need us to pull her anymore.
Reitzen sighs.
Reitzen: We just do it anyways.
Interviewer: Was the bear acquired for this purpose in mind?
Suh: Yeah, we got her from a sanctuary. She was being rehomed, I imagine you guys took the paperwork when you raided the studio.
Interviewer: And the intention behind the project was?
Reitzen: It's hard to explain without her here.
Interviewer: Try.
Reitzen: It's about infinity, it's about being there. Right in front of you, breathing. She has a form you can identify, that you can look at. And she keeps going. You stand next to her and you feel it in a way you can't feel it anywhere else.
Interviewer: Feel what specifically.
Reitzen: That she doesn't end.
Dr. Moshenko makes a note. Suh is still looking at the door.
Interviewer: Is the process replicable?
Suh: Probably. We documented everything. We had plans for others, after Misha. We were going to do a whole series.
Reitzen: We had a wide elk, a wide salmon, and a wide moth planned that we were very excited about.
Suh: The moth was our centerpiece.
Reitzen: We had our whole series mapped out, Misha was just the first.
Neither subject speaks for a moment.
Reitzen: She was just the first.
Interviewer: Are you aware of any other individuals who had contact with the bear prior to Foundation recovery.
Reitzen: Just us and our friends who supplied the projects. We all cried when it was finished. She was so real.
Suh stops looking towards the doorway and sits up.
Suh: Can we see her?
Interviewer: That won't be possible.
Suh: Is she okay?
Interviewer: The anomaly is contained and stable.
Reitzen: Does it mean anything to you that we made something?
Dr. Moshenko looks at his notes. The room is very quiet. He does not answer. After a moment he closes his folder.
Interviewer: Thank you for your cooperation. You'll be processed for release shortly. As a concession for your assistance during recovery, it has been approved to give you a release of a preliminary containment file on SCP-9189.
Reitzen: What does that mean?
Interviewer: You'll both be able to review a copy of the documentation we have produced on the anomaly.
Suh: Can we see her instead?
Interviewer: No.
Moshenko leaves. A Foundation aide enters and places another Manila folder on the table between the two subjects and leaves without speaking. Reitzen opens the folder. A majority of the first page is black bars. A majority of the second page is black bars. Almost every aspect of SCP-9189 is redacted. Reitzen closes the folder.
Suh: That's all that's left?
Neither subject speaks for a moment.
Reitzen: Yeah.
<End Log>