fit in │ STAND OUT!



Congratulations to the Carleton School of Industrial Design for putting on a lovely show at the CUAG. Graduating class products ranged from solar powered sprinklers to cyber-cartographic devices. The level of refinement of the work was impressive and concise!

PlayingFavourites::
+ NCC Signage Group: Willow Watson’s idea was a simple yet poetic design for exterior signage units. Two rectangular frames were bound along on edge: one panel held information/images; while the other panel was void of signage and thus framed a view of the city.
+ I.C.A.N Group: Ilana Ben-Ari’s ‘Connexions’ was a musical puzzle for the visually impaired intended to improve children’s spatial concepts, orientation and communication.

Aces are wild ::
The first year ID class had a mini-exhibition as well which documented their projects throughout the year which included product photography, material investigation, etc. On sale was their first project: playing cards! Each student was given a product to use in their card design and some of the results were cleverly depicted!

Playingfavourites:: (see photo above)
+ Sun Lim’s 2 of hearts/light bulb
+ Rebecca Brunette’s Ace of clubs/airplane
+ Dana Dabros’ 8 of diamonds/Etch-A-Sketch

Note: One of the group projects involved interior explorations/environments where one solution included a multi-surfaced object to hang coats, shoes, etc. Though the symbolic use of antlers was undefined - possibly a new trend in animal accessories? (see: April 8.06. entry on E.Ginder)

Visit Carleton’s Industrial Design Graduation Exhibition at Carleton University’s Art Gallery (CUAG) from April 22 – 25: 10am-5pm.
Industry Recognition Reception on Monday April 24 from 4 pm - 6 pm. Dave Popovich (Smart Technologies) and Carole Champion (Ottawa Manufacturers Network and Ontario Centres of Excellence) are the guest speakers.

Why?...

I need not explain my horror...

Canadian Gothic + Joe's World ::






















Andrew Wyeth is best known for 'Christina's World' (1948), a painting that arguably rivals Grant Wood's 'American Gothic' (1930) as one of the most popular American paintings of the 20th century.

Although the diverse amount of representations inspired from either painting increases daily; we couldn’t resist the temptation of participating in its romantic lure.

photos: Thomas Nemeskeri, Mark Baechler

"Is Easter Getting Fuzzy?..." -St.Giles Church, Ottawa

Easter eggs, dilapidated houses + hay bales.

FUTURE FURNISHING? ::
Cottage aesthetic + Baroque embellishment :: Erich Ginder


Blurring the line between art and design, Erich Ginder Studio has created a series of objects called the Ghost Collection - an eerie group of ornaments which take on functions such as coat hangers and lighting fixtures. Latent in Ginder’s work is a mysterious sensibility which makes them both enchanting + creepy all at the same time!

ReadingSPACE :: Architecture after Modernism by Diane Ghirardo.
SongSPACE :: Cowbell by Tapes ‘n Tapes: The Loon // For the Actor by Mates of State: Bring it Back // Over and Over Again(lost and found) by

Cooking up some cool ideas ::
I stumbled upon this website while looking at album art on the net.

Sinking Skins :: Ernesto Neto

*pics (http://www.konsthall.malmo.se/o.o.i.s/2741) except far left (me!)

Valentines Day is for lovers & last year’s was named Paris.

Upon my arrival at the Centre Pompidou I was immediately torn. Observing the architecture of the building was as much a priority as the artwork which was contained within the space itself. Yet after a few short minutes of navigating through the labyrinth-like galleries, I quickly noticed how I began to lose myself amongst the overwhelming variety of international contemporary artwork.

After wiping the drool from my chin I continued to make my way through the museum. Enticed by an unusual scent, I inquisitively turned the corner and was confronted by the belly of an amorphic object hung by the ceiling. This was the genius of Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto. This particular piece consisted of translucent, nylon-type fabric that was shaped into numerous flagella-like extensions that were filled with heavy masses of spice. Each extension remained in careful balance hovering just above the ground. Its only movement was revealed in the small patches of spice which passed through the material and reformed on the ground below. Unaware as to whether I was supposed to interact with the art; I left it untouched in fear of having the piece explode and hearing some awful security guard tell me: “you broke it you buy it” while standing covered in foot-thick puddles of spice.

I later learned that much of Neto’s work had been created with the intention that it would be touched and inhabited by its users. Inspired by the ideology of neo-concretism, Neto rejects modernism’s ideas of autonomous geometric abstraction in replacement of an interactive and organic artistic experience.

“…it is important to Neto that the viewer should actively interact with and physically experience his work by feeling, smelling, and touching it.” - Malmö Konsthall exhibition

He has described his work as an extension and exploration of the body. Much of what he creates appears as a representation of the body where new relationships are formed depending on the interaction with the viewer. Ernesto’s work is sensuous + playful yet retains the ability to continuously generate new meaning with its users. Had I known this prior to seeing his work, cinnamon would’ve had a whole new meaning to Valentine’s Day.

ReadMORE! :: websites about Ernesto Neto

http://www.konsthall.malmo.se/o.o.i.s/2741
http://www.bombsite.com/neto/neto3.html

What is a Meligrove?...

It’s sometimes hard to admit when you’re wrong. Ok, it’s always hard to admit when you’re wrong. So after seeing the highly touted Meligrove Band at Zaphods this past Thursday I must admit that I was wrong. I was wrong about their sound. I was wrong about their image and I was wrong about their authenticity.

From the onset I was a skeptical listener – blame it on the cover art! – assuming that the band would seemingly spew retro pop-infused songs exhibiting influences borrowed from Ben Folds Five and Pink Floyd. My first half-hearted preview of the album wouldn’t garner a fair estimation of their musicianship but at the same time what I had perused didn’t exactly make me a 'Meligrove fanatic'. So when I was asked to go to their show you could imagine my total lack of enthusiasm. But I was willing to give them a try seeing that their onstage presence was supposedly a lot more convincing than their recorded effort.

From the first note of their opening song until the final encore, I was astonished that I had never even given their album a second chance! During the show I found myself holding back from a full-out mano a mano dance party as they progressed through their set. The Meligrove’s singer/pianist/guitarist Jason Nunes, guitarist/synth/trumpeter Andrew Scott, Drummer Darcy Rego and Bassist Michael Small’s humorous flare onstage resulted in a rendition of the Magnum P.I. theme song and condensed versions of hair-rock introductions from drummer Darcy Rego. Their execution of beautifully complex vocal and musical arrangements made up for their sometimes painfully naive lyrics – “…ohh I, I think about it, ohh I, I dream about it, oh I never want to be alone again. I love you and I hope you’ll come through..." *cringe* Regardless, their sensual combustion of strings which revealed shifting piano chords and intricate percussions made for uniquely fresh pop songs that were both easy and infectious.

Recently signed to V2 Records and produced by Jose Contreras (of By Divine Right), the Meligrove Band has attempted to capture its raw energy and sound on their latest album Planets Conspire. The album listens like a continuous songscape with all the songs drawn from a similar palette of events. Although I still prefer their live act to their recorded version, I have been known to be wrong…

Highlights ::
1. “Our Love Will Make the World Go Round”
2. “Everyone’s a Winner”
3. Trumpets, Pianos + Tambourines!
4. ‘Rockstar’ stories about shooting ranges in Texas
5. Andrew Scott’s Moustache

Hear it! :: www.meligroveband.com // www.myspace.com/meligroveband