Funny, that.

There's a question in The Vanity Fair Proust Questionnaire that asks Which words or phrases do you most overuse? It's by far my favourite question in the questionnaire. For me, it would have to be "It's funny..." which is my inarticulate way to express fascination with one of my strange observations or thoughts, of which there are many (fascinations as well as strange observations).

A friend once called me out on saying "It's funny..." so often because she found herself using it constantly and could not for the life of her figure out where she picked it up from. I just looked at her guiltily. But, I secretly gloated: I'm usually the one who spongily starts talking like my friends, so knowing that it works both ways made me happy.

It's funny, then, that after a few weeks away from blogging (which feels like eons in blog time) that it is this very space that connects me to an exciting opportunity. I'll be collaborating with a dear friend, Laurie McGregor to produce an installation at City of Craft! My obsession with fire escapes continues to pay off creatively; Laurie and I will be using the escapes to explore links between craft and urban space. It's going to be a lot of work and also very exciting. Did I say exciting? It's exciting.

Here are a few photos that will likely be incorporated in the installation. Did I mention that I'm excited?

Happiness

This image is coming at me from a few angles and I had to share it. Simple enough; now live it.
source typecut.com

Now that you've learned how to speak, what will you say?

I found the above quote somewhere in the broad, murky sea, just off the shore of Internet-land via a blog called togetlost. I don't know who wrote it, but it stuck with me.

An interview with Ze Frank on Imaginary Audiences got me thinking about the purpose of being here in this space. He speaks of the nativity of creating only for oneself without considering audience, which I'm not completely on board with, but find intriguing.

I like to tell myself that whatever I choose to post here is complete self indulgence: I'm just regurgitating things I love in a way that's (hopefully) not too diary-esque but revealing nonetheless. And, maybe sharing some of my humble interpretations of my experience. Yet, I get a thrill when people tell me they like what they see here, or one of you leaves a comment. And, truthfully, if I didn't want to share, I'd stay cocooned in my own world. Revisioning my purpose here, I see that it's morphed into a sort of breathing. Once, I heard a street artist characterize her ad jams as breathing out: we breathe in messages everyday, consequently, her art is a natural reaction. It's impossible to estimate, but sources say anywhere from 150-3000 ads per day are read in some shape or form by the average Northerner.

Breathing out sounds better than self-indulgence, yes? Yes.

Lisa Romero

Isn't it lovely? by Lisa Romero
source myloveforyouislikeastampedeofhorses

take picture dont steal

Here's a wonderful conceptual photography project by Matt Greenwood, a local designer and artist. If you find one of his installations around Toronto, consider yourself lucky. I won't take away from the project by blathering on, except to say that I love the simplicity of the idea and execution, so please go visit the website to learn more!

Archetypes / Insomnia

I'm inscribing these found pieces of wood with a story from Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales using vinyl letters and lettraset. These stories from around the world feature atypical heroines starring in tales with not-so-happy endings. The fairy tales I grew up with were gruesome and gritty in their own rite before they were Disnified. Sleeping Beauty? The prince is romancing a corpse. Snow White? The princess is living with what is reputed to be slaves. Little Red Riding Hood? The woodsman murders the wolf. These tales are rich with clues of a complex subconscious struggling to come to the surface. Tapping into our collective subconscious using stories that have been passed down through generations utterly fascinates me.

Ingenious pinhole mouth photography

I've been devouring the Art: 21 documentary series on DVD lately. Here's my latest crush.

Ann Hamilton
"Untitled"
2000
Pin-hole mouth photograph from the series "face to face"
Courtesy the Artist
Only “fair use,” for personal and/or educational purposes, of artwork is permitted: Art21 Copyright Notice

smrt

source Joie de Vivre

Brian Dettmer: Book Autopsies

This is incredible. I love the playful take on intended meaning that Brain Dettmer creates when he cuts away redundant paper to reveal multiple layers of beauty.
source Centripetal Notions

I will...

via PaperTissue.

dreams aren't linear

Words of wisdom from The Sartorialist